A Chance Encounter
by Sakucherryblossoms
Summary: It was obvious what she had to do; when she saw him in trouble the only logical thing to do was save him. Now that she has, however, it has changed quite a few things in Konoha… along with her love life. SakuraXxHayate
1. Chapter 1

A Chance Encounter

This story is dedicated to xXxFallenSakruaxXx who asked if I would write a new story with the pairing of Sakura and Hayate. J Here you go dear; I hope you enjoy it.

It was obvious what she had to do; when she saw him in trouble the only logical thing to do was save him. Now that she has, however, it has changed quite a few things in Konoha… along with her love life.

**I do not own Naruto**

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Sakura hid quietly within the walls of the library. It was currently long after closing hours, and Sakura needed to stay quiet so she wasn't found. She had a lot of studying she still had to do.

She was currently reading through her third medic-nin book; a book which taught one to use medical jutsu. After tying with Ino only two days earlier during the Chuunin exams, Sakura had realized that she need become stronger, not only for herself, but also for her team.

Sakura already knew asking Kakashi to help her become stronger wouldn't work; he was far too interested in Sasuke and Naruto for her. Sakura had to do this all on her own.

Sighing deeply, the pink haired girl brushed her newly short hair out of her eyes as she continued to read. She definitely liked the shorter length; she didn't even care what Sasuke thought of it.

When Sakura saw Sasuke lose control in the Forest of Death, she had been afraid; it was raw fear, and Sakura had never felt it before. She had been even more afraid of Sasuke, even more than the psychotic manic that had caused Sasuke to become this. Sakura was so afraid of Sasuke… she didn't even know if she loved him anymore.

Sighing again, Sakura's eyes were transfixed on the book before her; that is they were, until she heard a loud noise outside the library.

Ignoring her books to further her curiosity, Sakura stood from her chair. She moved slowly to the window located beside her chair and looked out with slight curiosity.

Outside the window was her proctor for the third part of the Chuunin exams, Hayate, she remembered easily. He appeared to be panting heavily; the Suna genin's Sensei stood before him with a sword in his hand.

Sakura's eyes widened slightly at the scene before her… she had to think of a way to get him out of there.

The Suna nin smirked before slicing a deep wound against Hayate's chest. Hayate coughed blood as he fell backward and landed on the ground; appearing to be unconscious.

"We need to finish him quickly," a voice Sakura recognized, stated. Sakura's eyes widened even more as Kabuto appeared from deep within the shadows. "We wouldn't want anyone else to find out Suna and Sound's alliance."

Sakura's breath hitched as she watched Kabuto walk closer to the unconscious Hayate. She had to do something… she needed to be strong; she couldn't just let someone die in front of her, she refused to be weak any longer.

Sakura let out a loud scream and watched Kabuto stop in his tracks. His eyes quickly darted to the window Sakura was staring out of, and Sakura watched his eyes narrow. Sakura let out another scream, and soon several lights within the area began to turn on.

Kabuto's eyes widened, as did the Suna nin's. Sakura knew Anbu would be here within a few short minutes; the other two nin must have also known, because they quickly began sprinting away from the scene.

Sakura opened the library door, and ran through it quickly. She knew Hayate was losing way too much blood, too fast. Kneeling beside him, Sakura concentrated as she tried to draw chakra into her hands. She had read it in one of her books, and she smiled when her hands began glowing an emerald green color the girl had read about.

Placing her hands on his chest, Sakura closed her eyes as she pushed chakra through her hands. Keeping her eyes closed tightly, Sakura began to slowly weave her chakra through the deep gash on Hayate's chest.

The process of healing was taking longer than Sakura had anticipated, and she was growing tired quickly. Pushing the rest of her chakra into Hayate's chest, Sakura was unaware that her doing so had made his entire chest glow emerald.

Hayate quickly began coughing, as Sakura pushed her last ounce of chakra into his system. She knew Anbu would be here in under a minute, sighing deeply she fell against the older male's chest.

As she did, Hayate's eyes began to slowly open. He grunted slightly as the pink haired girl collided with his chest, but she really wasn't that heavy. Blinking his eyes quickly, Hayate soon began to cough deeper, and slowly moved his head to he side as he coughed out a dark black liquid.

"Is that…" Hayate's eyes widened as he wiped his mouth with his hand and grimaced seeing the black liquid on his hand. "What-"

"What happened here?" a team of Anbu appeared before Hayate. Hayate's head was still a bit hazy.

"I don't think that's important right now," another member from the Anbu team spoke quickly. "It is obvious two shinobi are in need of medical attention."

Hayate began to fade in and out of consciousness. The last thing before he completely faded to place was the sight of a beautiful pink haired girl being pulled away from his chest.

---

Hayate woke with a start. His eyes darted slowly around the hospital room, and stopped when he saw the Hokage standing in front of him.

"Hokage-sama," Hayate bowed his head to the man before him.

"There is no need for that here, Hayate," the Hokage smiled. "I was wondering if you could tell me what happened last night."

"It was hazy before, but I believe I can remember it now," Hayate stated with a nod. "I will need you to fill me in on what happened after I passed out though… assuming you know."

Sarutobi smiled again and nodded. "Sakura has just awoken also," Sarutobi stated while he sat in a chair beside Hayate's bed. "Amusing girl, she is. She had actually snuck into the library to get some late night studying in; lucky for you she did."

Hayate nodded slowly. "I am still kind of unaware as to when she entered the picture," Hayate stated, "But this is what happened. I was taking my nightly rounds through out Konoha, and I heard voices. I quickly hid my chakra, and walked closer.

"I immediately noticed Kabuto, the one who tried to attack Sasuke-san earlier today, and also the Suna nin, Baki."

"Go on," Sarutobi nodded quickly. This news was not good; it appeared there was going to be a war going on within Konoha, and that war would start very soon.

"They were discussing invasion plans during the final part of the Chuunin exams," Hayate stated quickly. "I tried to sneak away to come and tell you, but it appeared Kabuto and Baki were quite away of my presence.

"Baki attacked me," Hayate stated while closing his eyes. With a sigh, he opened then and stared straight into the Hokage's. "I can't remember anything after that."

"Sakura heard the commotion," Sarutobi stated with a smile. "She saw you fall unconscious and figured she had to do something. She screamed, and I guess it scared away both Baki and Kabuto. After that she raced out and healed your wounds… don't even ask me how she was able to.

"Genin are not suppose to have the precise of chakra control," Sarutobi stated with an affectionate smile. "The girl healed the wound Baki had caused to your chest… She also was able to heal the illness that was located deep within your lungs."

"But I had been to many medic-nin and none of them could cure me," Hayate stated with slightly wide eyes. That must have been what the black liquid was; he remembered now.

He woke up only to find the pink haired girl, Sakura, unconscious on his chest. He wasn't aware she had anything to do with healing him. "How was she able to-?"

"I'm not sure," Sarutobi stated as he stood; his expression was much more somber now that the discussion was rapidly coming to a close. "I believe a thanks should be in order for her though, don't you? You should get on that as I talk with my Anbu teams; we will keep the knowledge of their invasion a secret."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Hayate stated as he bowed his head lightly as the Hokage left the room.

Hayate sighed once he was left alone; it was obvious the pink haired girl, Sakura, had saved his life, and Hayate was deeply indebted to her for that. He needed to find a suitable way of thanking her; it was obvious just a simple thank you wouldn't be enough.

Hayate sighed again, and brushed the long-tangled brown hair away from his eyes. He was really never that good at saying thank you; he supposed he had Genma to thank for that, but then he really didn't…

Genma was an ass hole, but Hayate only knew that all too well because the senbon wielder was his best friend. Chuckling lightly to himself, he silently wondered when his twin-like best friend would arrive here.

Without even another second going by, Genma walked into his room nonchalantly. "So how's the poor little guy doing in here, huh?"

Hayate groaned at the entrance of his brunette haired friend. "I'm fine," Hayate stated while slightly massaging his forehead with his hand; whenever he was with Genma he seemed to get a headache... Hayate was sure it wasn't a coincidence.

"That's good to hear," Genma nodded as he sat down in a chair next to Hayate's bed. "I think I'd cry if you actually did die."

"I didn't know you cared so much," Hayate stated in a mock tone of flattery. "Why are you really here, Genma?"

Genma sighed, and used his tongue to sweep around the senbon needle that resided in his mouth. "Yugao was pretty upset," Genma commented. "She thinks this is all her fault."

Hayate stiffened slightly at the mention of the purple haired woman's name. "Well it kind of is…" Hayate muttered softly. "I don't think I would have been so reckless if she hadn't…"

"If she hadn't broken up with you," Genma stated with a slight nod. "I understand it hurts, bud, I really do, but you went into a dangerous situation with no back up! You're lucky that pink haired Genin was there or your ass would be-"

"I'd be dead," Hayate stated with a nod. "But you already knew I was dying."

"I chose to ignore that fact," Genma stated with a stressed sigh. "I still do in fact."

"There's no need too, anymore," Hayate stated while watching his friend closely. "While Sakura was healing my gash wound, she also healed the illness."

"She what?" Genma asked as his mouth appeared to drop. "She's only a Genin!"

"I am aware of that," Hayate stated with a slight smirk. "I guess luck was just on my side."

"You're a special Jounin, and you say it was luck that kept you alive?" Genma commented with a slight whistle. "You better thank that pink haired girl."

"I'm trying to find a way how to," Hayate sighed as he stood from his bed. Stretching slightly he walked over to the mirror in his room. He pulled down his gown slightly, and was impressed to find only a slight scar on his chest. "Maybe I could help train her for the exams next year."

Genma nodded his head enthusiastically while he sat behind his friend. "That could work!" Genma stated. "I'm so proud you came up with that all by yourself!"

"Just shut up," Hayate stated as he rubbed his forehead slightly again. "You're giving me a headache."

"How old is this girl?" Genma asked nonchalantly; seemingly out of the blue. Hayate turned to raise a curious eyebrow to his brunette friend's question.

"Thirteen," Hayate stated while trying to remember. "Why?"

"You know you're only twenty yourself," Genma stated with a knowing smirk. "That's only seven years difference."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hayate asked with slight alarm as he appeared in front of Genma.

"I dunno," Genma stated while trying to cover his smirk. "It just seems rather amusing that a beautiful young girl would come and save your life… it's _just your luck, _you know."

Hayate sighed. "Don't you try and go anywhere with this," Hayate stated with a frown. "I don't know this girl, and that is exactly what she is, a _girl."_

"That's just an after thought," Genma stated while waving his hand nonchalantly in the air. "I could get you two together; love knows no bounds, ya know."

"Stop while you're ahead," Hayate commented while sitting back down on his bed. "There's no way this is ever gonna happen; no way I want it to."

"Uh huh," Genma nodded with a smirk.

"Promise you won't do anything," Hayate stated while looking at the male in front of him.

"Scouts honor," Genma mocked saluted at Hayate before standing. "Well bud, it seems I better take my leave… I have other things I need to be doing."

"Genma," Hayate stated with a warning tone. Genma smirked at the other brunette before leaving the room quickly. Hayate sighed wearily. "Just my luck indeed."


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long to update; college has been really tough, and I haven't been able to update many of my stories. I updated because tomorrow is my birthday, and I wanted to give my readers a birthday present!

A Chance Encounter : Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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It was weird to be sitting in a hospital room so soon after having been in one. After the third part of the chuunin exams, Sakura had been brought to the hospital incase there were any left over injuries. Of course there hadn't been any then, and now there weren't any yet again. She wasn't the one who had been attacked…

She remembered being in the library, and she remembered trying to save the man; the one proctor of the third part of the chuunin exams. Sighing slightly, Sakura allowed a small blush to form on her face; the proctor, Hayate was actually very handsome.

She couldn't even really remember how she had healed Hayate; Sakura had read over a few text books on medic nins, but could it really be that easy? If she was able to read medical ninjutsu, then what else could she do?

Sighing again, Sakura's eyes danced to the flowers that littered her room. Standing up, Sakura walked over to the flowers and smiled. She already knew the orange tulips were from Naruto, the yellow daffodils would be from Ino, the bird of paradise was probably from Kakashi, but she did not know where the white lilies came from.

Walking over to the lilies, Sakura smiled slightly as she read the card. "Thanks for saving my dumb ass friend. These flowers are from him."

Sakura giggled slightly and walked back over to her bed. The Hokage had come in and talked to her already; the only reason she was in the hospital still was because she needed 'protection'.

A glare was made known on her face, and Sakura groaned. When was she going to be strong enough? She was the weak one of team seven; the only one that did not pass to the final round of the chuunin exams. As her glare turned to something more, Sakura grew determined. "I swear to myself I'm going to become stronger, and next year I will become a chuunin."

XxxX

Hayate stood in front of a hospital room door; he wasn't sure if he could do this… He wasn't sure if he could meet the young girl who had saved his life; wasn't sure if he was man enough to say thank you.

Coughing into his hand slightly on impulse, Hayate moved his other hand towards the door knob. Sighing slightly, he opened the door without knocking, and walked into the hospital room.

Hayate closed the door behind him before actually looking into the room. Turning around, Hayate noticed the small, fragile looking girl laying on her bed. She was not asleep, but she did seem to be talking to herself, however, the thought made him smirk slightly. So the girl that saved him was crazy; the thought made him chuckle.

Hearing a sudden chuckle, Sakura looked up, and blushed slightly at the man before her. This was the man that she saved… honestly she wasn't sure what he was doing here. If he thought that he owed her, he did, but Sakura wasn't going to hold that over him.

"ah… Hi," Hayate said easily while taking a step into the room. He was no longer wearing his hospital gown, though she still was. It was obvious he was going to be let out, and that thought made Sakura slightly jealous. The man before her was obviously strong enough to leave the hospital without worry from the Hokage… she was not.

"Hello," Sakura said with a smile; well wasn't this awkward? Sighing, she sat up and motioned for him to sit in the chair next to her bed. "Can I help you with anything?"

Hayate's eyes widened slightly as he sat down in the chair she offered him; she was asking if she could help him with anything? Hadn't she helped enough? She was the reason he would not die early; from both Baki's attack and also the disease in his lungs. Shaking his head slightly, Hayate couldn't help but smile slightly at the girl before him.

"I believe I should be asking you that question," Hayate said with a slight head shake. "You're the one that saved my life, I should be the one that should be doing something for you."

Sakura couldn't help but smile as he said that; a bit of determination in her eyes. Before she spoke, however, she shook her head and sighed. "I'm fine, really." Sakura said while her eyes seemed to dance around the room.

"That's not what I asked," Hayate said with a slight glare; this girl was going to be difficult, and he was only trying to help. Maybe he was only trying to help to make himself feel less guilty, but still… "I asked you what I can help you with. It can be anything; I believe I owe you, Sakura."

Sakura nodded, and the determined look in her face returned. Emerald eyes connected completely with Hayate's brown ones, before she spoke. "I need someone to help me become a chuunin. I want to take the exams next year, and I know that I am not ready."

Raising an eyebrow, Hayate frowned; that had been his idea as well, but he still needed to know her reasons. "I thought your sensei was Kakashi…" Hayate spoke. "Why would you need my help if you have such a great sensei already?"

Sakura allowed a soft snort to escape her lips. "My sensei is more interested in my teammates, both Sasuke and Naruto. He has no extra time to train someone as insignificant as myself."

Hayate's eyes widened at the girl's last statement, though, he couldn't help but agree. When someone was on a team with the kyuubi and an Uchiha it was obvious they were going to be the last priority.

"Alright," Hayate said with a swift nod. "To help repay you for what you did for me, I will train you."

"Thank you," Sakura said as she let a smile beam on her lips.

"Sakura," Hayate spoke as his fingers massaged his temples. Looking up to the pinkette, he spoke. "How were you able to heal me… not just the injury that Baki caused, but how did you heal my illness?"

Sakura's eyes widened, and she watched Hayate for a second. "I… I wasn't aware I healed your illness; I did not even know you had an illness. But to tell you the truth, I really don't know what I did. One second I was reading about medical ninjutsu in the library, the next I was trying said ninjutsu on you… to be honest I had never really tried it before."

Hayate smirked slightly before standing. "I guess this will be easier than I thought," Hayate said. "I'll head over to the library and pick you up a few scrolls to study. As soon as you're ready we'll begin our training."

Sakura couldn't help but smile as she watched Hayate leave… maybe this was going to be a good thing.

XxxX

Hayate was at the library searching through a few scrolls. He didn't know what he wanted to teach Sakura yet, so it was hard for him to decide on what scroll to check out.

Hayate wanted to teach her some basic taijutsu as well as some ninjutsu but there was a problem; he was not aware what type of chakra Sakura had. His own chakra was wind, but one could never be sure about someone else. Knowing about her precise chakra control however, gave Hayate the hope that maybe Sakura wouldn't have to limit herself on the type of chakra ninjutsu she used.

It wasn't unheard of for people to be able to control all the elements; there had been special people in Konoha's history that could do it. Those special people had the ability to control their chakra almost perfectly; much like Sakura did. Hayate had a feeling Sakura could master more than just two elements…

Grabbing a few more scrolls, Hayate thought about the pink haired girl again. It was obvious she had a knack for medical ninjutsu, grabbing a few medic nin scrolls he sighed. He didn't know much about the girl he was going to teach, but he guessed that didn't matter; he'd know the girl soon enough.

Walking to the check out area, Hayate noticed he had grabbed over twenty scrolls. Smirking, he hoped Sakura could read quickly; if she couldn't then she didn't have much hope for his teaching.

XxxX

Sakura walked out of the hospital with a smile on her face; she had somehow convinced the Hokage that she would be fine. Thinking of what she should do first, she found her feet were already taking her to Ichiraku ramen.

Once she arrived at said ramen stand, Sakura's smile widened when she saw a blonde haired ninja clad in an orange jumpsuit. Walking up to the blonde, she gave a small wave when he noticed her. "Sakura-Chan!" Naruto yelled as he dropped his ramen and wrapped his arms around the pinkette.

"It's good to see you too, Naruto," Sakura said with a smile. Sitting in the seat beside him, Sakura ordered some ramen for herself.

"I'm sorry you went to the hospital, Sakura-Chan," Naruto said with a small frown. "I thought you could take care of yourself better than that. What were you sick with anyway?"

It was hard to lie to the boy in front of her, but the Hokage had told Sakura she could not tell the truth; the Hokage had to figure out what to do about Sound and Sand before he would name Sakura a hero. It was hard, because for once in her life, Sakura felt like she had done something right; that she had been strong… it was hard for her not to tell Naruto. "I guess it was just a cold; thank you for your flowers, though. They really were beautiful."

"No problem!" Naruto said with a grin. "I had to go to the flower shop and get Ino to help me."

"That's okay, Naruto," Sakura said with a smile. "Boys aren't supposed to know what kind of flowers to pick out. How's training going?"

Naruto frowned again, but then smiled slightly. "It's going pretty good; Kakashi-sensei is training Sasuke-teme. I had to get a dirty old pervert to help me!"

Sakura smiled at that. Speaking softly, Sakura said, "I'm training too; for next year. I found someone that's going to help me."

Glancing over to Naruto, she realized he wasn't paying any attention to her; she should be used to that… but it didn't make her feel any better.

"What was that, Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked as he slurped up another mouthful of noodles. Looking next to her, Sakura just shook her head and stood.

"I said that's great Naruto, good luck," Placing a few ryo down on the table, Sakura left the ramen stand without even eating.

She was going to make sure her teammates watched her back for once; she was going to make them regret ignoring her like they have been… she was going to become strong.

Walking around the village Sakura found herself stopping at team seven's usually training ground. Thinking back to something she had read in a scroll, Sakura tried to bring chakra to her hands. This time she wasn't trying to heal someone, she was going to try to crush something.

Sakura had read that a woman named Tsunade had been able to use her chakra to add strength to her punches and kicks. Sakura had not been able to read a lot about the woman, but Sakura figured she's be able to figure it out after a while.

Sakura had to concentrate as she drew chakra into her fists; if she could learn how to do things even before Hayate taught her, it would make things easier. Closing her eyes, Sakura felt her hands tingle slightly.

Raising her fist without opening her eyes, Sakura slammed her fist into the ground below her. Feeling the ground below her shake slightly, Sakura opened her eyes to see a small crack.

She sighed, but it was something. Concentrating on her fists again, Sakura tried to draw more chakra into them again.

XxxX

Hayate watched from the sidelines as Sakura tried to use Tsunade's chakra enhanced strength; where had that girl even heard about such a jutsu? It was obvious people really didn't talk about Tsunade-hime anymore… he smirked proudly as he watched her punch the ground a second time; this time Sakura's punch created a small crater.

Hayate watched as Sakura took in a deep breath before smiling; Hayate knew that training this girl would be a lot easier than he had first thought. If this girl showed this much potential without even being trained properly, he couldn't wait to see what would happen when he taught her everything he knew.


	3. Chapter 3

Update? Thank you all for the reviews! I'm excited everyone likes this story so much. I'm sorry if I'm not doing Hayate's character well enough; he wasn't in the manga or anime long enough for me to really get a feel for his character. If Hayate had not died, this is how I think he would be portrayed.

THANKS for all the reviews! And I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**Hey friends, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to start to edit through the previous chapters I have written. I want to make this story as good as possible; sorry if it irritates anyone. 7/4/12**

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It was their first day of training, and Sakura thought she should wear something different for the occasion. Leaving her red zip-up on the ground where she had thrown it earlier, Sakura walked to her closet with a sigh.

She was already wearing her black spandex shorts along with her chest bindings; she needed something more adult, something that would make her feel more like a shinobi. Looking through her closet, Sakura decided to stick with the color red as it was her family color.

Grabbing a red tank top, Sakura decided to place a black skirt over her spandex shorts as well. She would be able to move more freely in this outfit, and hopefully get more out of her training than she usually did.

Sakura grabbed her kunai pouch before jumping out her window. Landing on her feet a little less gracefully than she would have liked, Sakura started sprinting towards the new training grounds Hayate wanted to introduce to her.

Sakura ignored the fact that the sun had not even chose to rise yet. It was around five in the morning, and Sakura found she couldn't have been happier. Kakashi usually began training around seven, but did not arrive until twelve. The early morning training would be a lot cooler than the afternoon one she had been used to.

Sakura then decided to run over the rooftops. It had been a while since she had last done so, and Sakura was hoping for a little more challenge than just walking to the training grounds this morning as well as a better view of her beautiful village.

Jumping up to the nearest rooftop, Sakura only barely noticed the kunai that was flying her way. Rolling to the left, Sakura's shoulder landed a little too harshly on the roof below her. Sakura grunted, but quickly got to her feet. Dodging another set of kunai, Sakura dug into her own kunai pouch for a weapon.

Throwing kunai blindly in the direction the others had come from, Sakura quickly jumped to the next roof to try and find some cover.

Who the hell would be attacking her now? Sakura knew that she had made a few enemies when she saved Hayate, she didn't know they would choose to attack her so quickly after the incident.

Sakura was too caught up in her thoughts to dodge the senbon needle that was sent flying at her. The needle lodged in Sakura's forearm, and Sakura let out a yelp of pain before pulling out the weapon.

Gripping her injured arm tightly, Sakura tried to feel for her attacker's chakra signature. Not finding one, Sakura quickly dodged another senbon that came barreling towards her.

The two weapons, kunai and senbon, were very different. Did that mean there were two separate attackers?

Grabbing two kunai, Sakura waited until the senbon needles were sent towards her again. Dodging most of the needles, Sakura ran towards where one of her attackers was hiding.

Throwing a kunai at the shadowed figure, Sakura smirked when the figure leaped out of the way. Throwing another kunai while the shadow was sailing through the air, Sakura frowned when another kunai came from behind her to knock her kunai off course; her kunai would have surely hit its target.

Sakura frowned again when she felt a sword to her throat. She froze completely until she heard a chuckle a little ways in front of her.

"She's not bad Hayate," the figure she had been trying to attack before said. Sakura glanced to the person behind her, and sighed in relief as she saw her new sensei.

"Hayate-sensei?" Sakura asked while Hayate sheathed his sword with a smile.

"Sorry Sakura," Hayate said with a slight head bow. "I was hoping to test your skills, knowing you wouldn't really be expecting it this early in the morning. This is my associate Genma."

"Jeeze, come on Hayate!" The figure that stood before her grunted. Even in the dark, Sakura could see the brown haired man well. He had brown eyes like Hayate, brown hair also like her sensei; were these two brothers? "You know we're friends! It's nice to meet you Sakura! I'm Genma, Hayate's best friend."

"Some best friend you are," Hayate muttered while glancing towards the pink haired girl. "You just maimed my new student."

"I wasn't trying to!" Genma yelled as he pointed an accusing finger towards Hayate. "You said she could take it, and now that I've seen her, I'd have to agree."

Sakura ignored the older male's argument while she paid more attention to her wounded arm. The wound itself wasn't very large; Genma could have done a lot worse, Sakura was sure of it.

Closing her eyes, the girl concentrated her chakra into her hand and moved it towards her arm. She had only been able to heal Hayate, not that she had really tried since then. Willing herself to push more chakra into her hand, Sakura's hand started to glow green.

The two males that were next to her stopped fighting once they saw the emerald green light. Genma raised an eyebrow, but stayed quiet at Hayate's request. The newly made sensei raised a hand as Genma tried to speak, he ignored his friend for a moment while watching his new student work on healing her arm.

He had seen someone be healed before he was a ninja for goodness sakes. He had not, however, seen the emerald color burn so brightly that it could clearly be seen over many roof tops.

Hayate couldn't stop the small smile that adored his features as he watched Sakura work. This girl had been the one that healed him. She had healed him with the technique she was now using.

Hayate watched as the glow slowly diminished, and emerald green eyes that matched the light he had just seen opened. Sakura raised an eyebrow as both Genma and Hayate's eyes were on her.

"So," Sakura said with a slight blush. "That was my first training session?"

Hayate smirked as he was brought out of his internal musings. "Not by a long shot, kid."

XxxX

Sakura obediently had followed both Hayate and Genma to their new training spot. It seemed like Genma thought he owed Sakura as well; she was the one to save his best friends life.

Standing before the two, Sakura couldn't help the smile that came upon her features; they really did look like brothers in a way, but Sakura could see the subtle differences. Genma had a pointier chin, and his face seemed to be longer than Hayate's.

The trip to their new training spot had taken the trio more time than Sakura had wanted to spend on just getting to a training spot. The sun had now risen, and Sakura frowned at the potential for it to get very warm, very quickly.

"What will my first lesson in training be, Hayate-sensei?" Sakura asked while looking to her brown haired sensei. It seemed Sakura's voice broke the quiet conversation Hayate and Genma were both having.

"Well I wanted to see what type of chakra you were most accustomed to," Hayate said while taking a piece of paper from his hip pouch. Handing it to Sakura, he looked back towards Genma for advice on what to say next.

"Draw chakra into the paper before you, and then we'll see what chakra you have an affinity to."

Sakura nodded and closed her eyes. Collecting chakra into her hand, Sakura opened her eyes and released the chakra into the paper that stood before her.

The paper itself got wet, and then appeared to crumble into dirt in her hand. Raising an eyebrow, Sakura glanced towards Hayate for an explanation.

"The paper will crumble if you are more attuned to earth, but it also gets wet when the user has a water affinity," Hayate stated while casting a look to his comrade. Raising an eyebrow, he looked back towards Sakura. "Though I have never seen someone have an equal affinity before."

"Does that mean water and earth jutsu will be easier for me to use?" Sakura asked while trying to remember what the academy had taught her. It hadn't been so long since she was in the academy, but Sakura wasn't so sure they taught elemental chakra this in depth.

"Essentially," Genma stated with a smirk as he walked towards a tree. Leaning against the tree, the man sighed before popping a senbon needle into his mouth and closing his eyes.

"Genma happens to be part earth chakra; the other part being wind like myself," Hayate said while glaring towards the nonchalant-ness of his comrade. "I am mostly a wind user, with a mild bit of water jutsu at my disposal."

There was a sudden silence, and Hayate didn't know if he should break it. What had first caused the silence in the first place, Hayate wondered as he looked towards his pink haired student.

"…Does that mean you will no longer teach me, Hayate-sensei?" Sakura asked while her voice sounded deflated. Hayate's eyes widened but he shook his head instantly.

"No, Sakura," Hayate said with a sigh. "I promised I would teach you; learning this will only make things a bit more difficult, but that shouldn't slow us down any."

Smiling, Sakura nodded and walked to her sensei. "So now that we know what affinity I am, what will we do next?"

"I guess we'll try to work your chakra control first," Hayate said while walking over to the small stream that lay near training grounds. Sakura raised an eyebrow, but followed Hayate.

"Kakashi-sensei tried to teach us something like this," Sakura said while catching up to her brown haired teacher. Glancing back, Sakura's eyebrow rose even more so when she found Genma smirking at them from the comforts of his tree; she wished she knew what the brunette was thinking. "My teammates and I learned how to climb trees without using our hands."

"Ah," Hayate said with a head nod. "That is the first part; this next part will be even trickier. Sakura, I'm going to teach you how to walk on water."

"O-okay," Sakura said while watching the man with slightly wide eyes. Sure she had seen Chuunin, and of course jounin level ninja do this simple trick all the time. It was different for her, though, Sakura was only a genin.

"Okay," Hayate said with a slight smile. Stepping out onto the water, Hayate looked back effortlessly at Sakura; he made it look so damned easy. "You need to concentrate chakra to your feet, and then keep shifting your chakra to account the waves in the water."

Closing her eyes, Sakura nodded. Walking closer to the stream, Sakura concentrated the chakra to her feet. Taking a step on the water, Sakura tried to get her first foot a float before completely stepping out on the water.

Thinking she had it, Sakura took another step into the stream. She smirked triumphantly as she managed to stay afloat, only to be crashing into the river moments later.

Sakura heard Genma's chuckle as she surfaced. Glaring towards the man, his only response was to chuckle again. Looking over to Hayate, the man appeared to be fighting laughter as well.

Glaring her emerald eyes to her sensei, Sakura smirked before splashing him with water. As the cold water hit Hayate's face and clothes, Hayate did not seem amused any more. Genma, on the other hand, was laughing even harder.

Swimming over to the stream's edge, Sakura used it as leverage to pull herself out. Turning towards Hayate, she waited for him to explain what went wrong.

Hayate walked over to where Sakura now stood wet; he still glared, but spoke anyway. "You did not keep the chakra at the base of your feet inconsistent."

"Inconsistent?" Sakura asked.

"Like I said you need to accommodate for the stream's waves, and even the fish. For every wave that washes against you, you must re-concentrate the amount of chakra you have at the base of your feet, as well as where the chakra is being placed. Every second your feet are on the water, you need to change the consistency of your chakra."

Nodding, Sakura closed her eyes and summoned chakra into her feet. Hayate quickly leaped away from the stream and stood near where Genma was sitting; the elder of the two still had a smirk on his face while he played with the senbon needle in his mouth. Genma moved the object side to side as he watched the pink haired girl concentrate before him.

Watching from afar, Hayate watched Sakura's chakra laced feet step onto the water. The girl's eyes were still closed from concentration, but Hayate managed a smile when she stood atop the water, wobbling only slightly before getting the hang of it.

"Huh," Genma commented from beside Hayate; he was now standing and looking towards the pink haired girl with interest in his eyes. "Seems like this'll be easier than we both thought. Who knew Kakashi would look past a girl with so much talent!"

Hayate solely had to agree with his friend, but he understood the copy-nin. Sasuke Uchiha was rumored to be cold, and maybe even a bit ruthless; Hayate remembered hearing stories of a certain young Hatake that matched the youngest Uchiha's description almost perfectly. Kakashi identified himself with Sasuke; it was no wonder Sakura had been left to her own devices.

Sensing the oncoming chakra of another, Hayate looked in the direction it was coming from, and recognized the person immediately. That did not mean he didn't know who this person was by his chakra signature alone, though: Kakashi Hatake. It seemed speaking of a person just made them appear…

Genma greeted the copy-nin with a smile and a friendly wave, but Hayate really couldn't. It was unfair and rash of Kakashi to completely throw away his other two genin; he had said he understood why Kakashi had done so, he just hadn't said it was right. And that was because it wasn't.

Kakashi was the one who always quoted "Those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." Sighing, Hayate decided to try and ignore the silver haired man's presence, but stopped when Kakashi appeared, standing directly in front of himself and Genma.

"Can I help you, Hatake?" Hayate asked while glancing towards Sakura. Hayate knew Sakura could sense Kakashi's chakra, but it was obvious the pinkette was ignoring it. Why?

"I was wondering when you became interested in my student," Kakashi said lightly as his eyes creased in what could be made a smile; Hayate didn't believe it though. Was Kakashi jealous that he was taking an interest in Sakura? The man before him didn't even have time to train Sakura.

"We bumped into each other the other day, and got to talking," Hayate said as his eyes looked to the man before him. "Sakura was talking about getting stronger, and I said I would help her."

"Why would you be interested in my student?" Kakashi asked as he glanced over his shoulder at Sakura; Hayate followed his gaze. Sakura was doing miraculously well after only falling in the first time. She was now testing her ability to jump on water; Hayate wondered how'd she been able to do it so quickly, but quickly shook his head.

In her own right, Sakura was probably a prodigy. No she didn't have a kekkei genkai, so people probably ignored her, but she really did have raw talent, and a desire to learn. She had better chakra control than most Chuunin and Jounin he had seen.

Glancing towards Kakashi again, Hayate sighed and was ready to say something, only to be interrupted by Genma's voice.

"You know Hayate," Genma said with a bit of lightness to his tone as he looked to the silver haired man. "When Hayate sees a damsel in distress he can't help himself; he has to save the young maiden!"

Hayate glared at his friends attempt at humor, but Kakashi seemed amused by it. "And here I thought it was my job to save Sakura."

"And here I thought you were training that Uchiha fellow," Genma said with an innocent turn to his head. "Silly me."

"Let's cut the crap," Hayate said while glaring towards Genma; the two other men nodded. "Sakura and my meeting was something that cannot be discussed, but something happened and I now owe Sakura. The only thing she asked me for was training, and I could not refuse."

Raising an eyebrow, Kakashi nodded. "If I talk to Hokage-sama, will I learn of what happened?" Kakashi asked.

"Probably not, yet," Hayate said. Glancing back towards Sakura, he sighed. "I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes here, Kakashi. Sakura made a valid request, and I answered it. She needs training if she wants to become a better ninja; even you can't disagree with that."

Nodding, the silver haired jounin looked to the pink haired girl who was now leaping across the water. "It seems you can do more than I ever could, anyhow."

With that said, the silver haired man disappeared, and Hayate grew slightly annoyed at the man's parting words. If Kakashi had cared enough to work with his students equally, Sakura would probably be in the finals of the exam now. Shaking his head, Hayate decided to end the day's lesson early; he would probably be irritated for the rest of the day thanks to that man.


	4. Chapter 4

**Edited 7/14/12. I'm going to edit every chapter that I am not completely happy with; I'm sorry if that irritates you guys. : ) I promise I am also working on the next chapter to this story as we speak. *There will be no big changes in the plot, just so everyone knows! I'm just trying to fix a few plot holes : )**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

Sakura woke early again; just like she had yesterday. Today, Hayate promised to allow Genma to teach her some earth techniques; Sakura was pretty excited. Sakura didn't know any real ninjutsu. Sure she could make a substitution technique, but that pretty completed the short list of jutsu she knew.

Sure she was practicing her medical jutsu, as well as the enhanced strength she had been training, but Sakura didn't know really any offensive jutsu. She had read that earth jutsu could be good for defensive as well as offensive jutsu.

Placing on her new usual outfit, Sakura grabbed her kunai pouch, along with an apple she planned to eat while on her way to training. She was on her guard as she left her house through the window again; she landed a little more gracefully than yesterday, and because of that she smiled.

Her training was already starting to show, Sakura knew she would be ready for next year's exam if she kept training like she had been. Taking a bite of her apple, Sakura pumped more chakra into her legs; the faster she got to her training grounds, the quicker she would be able to get to learning.

XxxX

Genma frowned as he leaned against the tree. In his opinion, it was too early to be doing anything, but of course he promised to teach Sakura a few earth jutsu today. Hayate had told him that he had given Sakura a few scrolls to read while she had been in the hospital.

Genma was happy to help the girl with training; she had saved his best friend, and he was very thankful, but that wasn't the only reason he was helping. Sakura was a smart girl; she deserved to be trained properly. It wouldn't just help his conscious to make Sakura stronger; in the end it would help his village as well.

Genma heard rustling in the trees and felt Sakura's chakra signature. He smirked slightly at the fact he hadn't sensed her right away. Hayate had taught her how to control her chakra better yesterday; was she trying to mask her chakra? For her first try, it probably wasn't bad. He assumed she could have tricked maybe a chuunin.

"How's it hanging, Sakura?" Genma called as the pink haired girl came in view. She was still eating her apple, but smiled and waved towards Genma. Today just Genma and Sakura would be training; Hayate had a mission to complete.

"What will I be learning today, Genma-sensei?" Sakura asked while she threw her apple aside. It was a warm morning, and would probably get warmer as the sun rose in the sky.

"Earth techniques," Genma said with a smirk as he flicked his senbon needle across his mouth. "Do you remember some of the techniques you read about last week?"

Sakura stood and thought for a moment, but then nodded. "There was a scroll about rock staff, earth style wall, and the bedrock coffin."

"Okay," Genma nodded with a smirk. "Let's work on making the staff first; that should be the easiest thing for you to replicate."

Sakura sighed but nodded. Keeping her eyes on Genma, she watched as Genma made a few hand signs. In only a few seconds, Genma stood before her with a rather long staff. Blinking slightly, Sakura waited for Genma to explain the process.

"It seems easy enough," Genma said as he twirled his staff around. "You need to concentrate on how much chakra you want to put into your staff. If you want to increase the strength of your staff, you have to increase how much chakra you put into the weapon."

"So all I have to do is the hand signs, and concentrate my chakra?" Sakura asked as she mentally went over the hand signs in her head. The process sounded too easy to her.

"Not exactly," Genma said with a shake of his head. "You won't know how much chakra to place into the staff you create until you actually do the jutsu. It's a different amount for everyone."

"So basically jutsu learning is more trial and error, than anything else?" Sakura asked with slightly wide eyes. How many times would she try to do this before it would actually work?

"Essentially," Genma said with a head nod. "It's different for every person, but Hayate told me this would probably be the easiest way for you to learn through trial and error. He said you were good at seeing and then doing; let's hope he was right."

Sakura nodded with a small smile; Hayate said that about her? Wow, he must think she had a lot of potential then.

Closing her eyes, Sakura ran over the hand signs once again. Smiling, Sakura quickly did the hand signs while saying the name of the jutsu. "Earth release: rock staff."

A poof was heard, and Genma looked down at his friend's student; he really could barely keep in his laughter. Sakura had probably the smallest staff he had ever seen. The brown staff stood only a few inches long.

"What went wrong?" She asked with a frown looked to her small staff she had created.

"You need to add more chakra; your staff wasn't big enough because you didn't put enough chakra into its creation, and enough time in shaping its form. Trust me; it gets easier as you go."

Nodding, Sakura closed her eyes to concentrate her chakra into her hands. Quickly doing the hand signs, Sakura started to mold her chakra with the dirt of the ground. Concentrating on her chakra, Sakura made her last hand sign, and a loud poof was heard.

Genma raised an eyebrow at the scene before him, before smirking. Sakura's eyes were slightly wide as she looked at the staff she had made. The staff Sakura was trying to hold up was probably thicker and taller than some tree's he had seen.

Genma couldn't help but sweat drop. "How much chakra did you put into the staff?"

"More than half of my own," Sakura gasped out as she looked to the staff she had made. "Is that even supposed to happen?"

"I dunno," Genma shrugged honestly. "I haven't seen someone waste that much chakra on a staff before. You're supposed to have excellent chakra control. Try it again."

Nodding, Sakura dismissed her staff, and quickly tried to the hand signs again. Sakura decided then, that this would a very long day.

XxxX

Hayate smiled as he arrived back at the Konoha gates. Though he had only been gone a few hours, Hayate felt like he had been gone much longer. He had been running errands for the Hokage, and he was happy it was over.

Hayate smiled as he made his way towards his favorite tea shop; the Hokage had told him specifically Hayate didn't need to give a mission report. Walking casually through his village, Hayate found his thoughts being drawn to his pink haired student along with his best friend. What was he teaching her right now?

Entering the tea shop, Hayate smiled when he sensed both Genma and Sakura in said tea shop; they must have decided to break early for lunch then. Walking over to where he sensed Sakura and Genma, Hayate raised an eyebrow at Genma. Said male had a large bruise on his face. He looked to Sakura as her eyes danced in amusement.

"Hey guys," Hayate called as he sat beside Sakura in a booth. Sakura smiled and waved, but Genma just glared. "What?"

"Why didn't you tell me she had no prior ninjutsu training?" Genma scowled.

"I thought that was understood after our first training period together," Hayate stated with an eyebrow raise. Looking to Sakura, his eyebrow rose even more at Sakura's smirk. "Why, what happened?"

"I summoned too big of a staff," Sakura said as she giggled slightly. "I think it was my third try, and I thought I had put enough chakra into it, but I had put too much again. As Genma tried to inspect my staff… I may have accidentally dropped it, and it landed on top of him. The thing was really heavy, though."

Hayate allowed a soft chuckle to escape between his lips as Genma's scowl deepened. "Did you end up making a staff, then?" Hayate found himself asking.

"Yep," the pink haired girl said with a full out grin. "After making the large staff, I was able to concentrate my chakra into making a smaller one."

"Is that all you guys worked on today?" Hayate said as he found himself frowning. He knew she had a whole year to learn things, but she wanted to be ready for the exams, as well as the possible war that might break out between Suna and Konoha. The more she learned before the final part of this year's chuunin exams the better.

"No," Genma shook his head as some mud fell from his hair. Glaring at the pink haired girl, Sakura only smiled. "She made some process on the earth style wall. She made a small one, but I assume that's because her chakra was pretty drained. The second and third staffs she made…" Genma shuddered in thought.

Hayate raised an eyebrow again, but decided not to ask. Ordering some tea, Hayate watched as his friend stood. "I'm gonna go take a shower," Genma said with a slight hand wave. "See ya kids later today."

Hayate waved his good bye as his friend poofed away while he moved to sit across from Sakura. The tea came and Hayate smiled as he found himself relaxing.

"When do you think I'm going to be learning water-based jutsu?" Sakura asked as she stirred her tea with her spoon.

"I guess after Genma says you've mastered the three earth based jutsu I wanted you to start off with," Hayate said as he picked up his tea. Taking a sip, Hayate smiled before responding. "I want you to know more than one element. If you only knew earth based attacks, they would be almost ineffective against someone with an affinity for lightning."

"So who will teach me water based jutsu then?" Sakura asked as she tilted her head to the side. Hayate couldn't help but chuckle at the question.

"I've been learning a few more water jutsu, Sakura." Hayate smiled as he took another sip of his tea. "You'll be working on your water jutsu with me once you are ready."

"I forgot you knew some water jutsu, Hayate-sensei," Sakura said as she allowed a smile to adore her face. "Oh, do you have any more scrolls I could read? I finished the ones you gave me a few days ago, and want to read some more."

Hayate nodded and took another gulp of his tea. Frowning at his empty cup, he placed a few ryo on the table before standing. "I have some scrolls on the other shinobi in the competition at my apartment; we can go get them before we go back to training."

Sakura rolled her eyes at the thought of training again, but she followed Hayate anyway. She was the one that wanted to train this much; she really should be thankful Hayate was putting up with her this much as it was.

Walking out of the tea shop, Sakura followed Hayate until they reached the center of the village. Noticing an apartment complex that many jounin lived in, Sakura wasn't surprised to find Hayate walking towards the building.

Sakura followed Hayate noticing as much about this place as she could. Soon enough, Sakura would be moving out of her parent's home and into her own apartment building. She had heard a lot of good things about this place.

Following Hayate to the second floor, she stopped a few steps behind him as Hayate stopped outside a door. Doing a few hand signs, Hayate touched the door, and it opened instantly.

"Instead of using a key, you seal your door shut?" Sakura asked as he allowed Sakura to walk into his apartment first.

"It's a shinobi thing," Hayate said as he smirked slightly. He nodded for her to sit on his couch while he walked down the hallway to a closed room. "You'll understand it when you get older."

"Sure," Sakura said with a bit of sarcasm as her emerald eyes danced around his apartment. Overall the feeling of Hayate's apartment was very warm. There was a fireplace surrounded by a rock wall. The other walls were covered in wood; Sakura wondered idly if every apartment's interior looked this nice.

After waiting a few minutes, Hayate appeared in the living room with several scrolls. Sakura stood, and put the ten or so scrolls into her kunai pouch. Glancing back to Hayate, Sakura smiled. "So training?"

"Yep," he said with a smirk. Sakura shook her head slightly, but followed her sensei as they left his apartment. They took to the rooftops as they headed in the direction of their training ground.

"What will I be working on this afternoon?" Sakura asked as she pumped more chakra into her legs to try and keep up with the man. He was already keeping his pace slow, but Sakura was still having slight trouble keeping up with him.

"We're going to work on your dodging ability, as well as increasing your speed," Hayate said as he smirked slightly.

"How are you going to do that?" Sakura asked as their training grounds were in sight. Sakura heard a pair of chuckles, and she couldn't help but frown.

"I love karma," a voice spoke from a couple meters away from her. Sakura's eyes widened as a pair of senbon needles were fired at her. Leaping to her left, Sakura tripped over a tree root and fell on her bottom.

Eyes widening even more, Sakura quickly spun to her right as more needles were sent her way. "Are you serious?" She questioned as she got to her feet. Turning toward her teacher, she glared. "Didn't you guys pull this stunt yesterday?"

"It'll increase your speed," Genma shrugged while standing beside Hayate. Both brown haired males had weapons in their grasp, which caused Sakura's eyes to widen even more.

"And your ability to dodge," Hayate stated as he tried to fight a smirk. Sakura glared at the males, but frowned when senbon needles were sent her way, again. Flipping backward, Sakura's frown worsened. Sometimes she wondered why she put herself through this. It was a pain; they were a pain.

Dodging a couple of kunai, she cringed when one kunai slashed a cut through her side. They seriously had to be trying to kill her. Glaring behind her, she watched as both males stood in amusement.

"Stop it!" Sakura called as she dodged another kunai that was aimed for her leg.

"Make me," Genma said as he stuck out his tongue. Looking to Sakura, his smirked when he noticed the intensity in Sakura's eyes.

Sakura closed her eyes in concentration and quickly began making hand signs. Opening her eyes, she glared at the males while yelling, " Earth release: rock staff."

After a poof sound was made, Sakura smirked in triumph, as not one, but two staffs stood beside her. One staff was very large, and looked like a tree. The other staff was small, and Hayate assumed she had made these two staffs for a reason.

Sakura smirked as she dropped her largest staff. Genma's eyes widened at the thick staff that was coming down on him, and he quickly tried to sprint away. "I'm not going to let you flatten me again!"

Hayate looked to the beast of a staff that was going to fall on his friend; how the hell had Sakura made that thing? Hayate flipped away from a jab from her other staff as she raced towards him.

She was breathing a little hard, but her smirk had widened at Hayate's reaction to her antics. Sakura actually giggled as she heard a loud bam and then a string of curses in the direction of Genma as he found himself pinned under the staff again.

"What is this Sakura?" Hayate grunted towards the tree-like staff his student had created.

"It's a trial staff; this is like the second and third attempt I made on the staff," Sakura said with a smirk. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"I don't think I've ever seen someone make a staff like this," Hayate found himself saying as he sent a few kunai towards Sakura. Sakura used her staff to bat away one kunai as she dodged the rest. Hayate couldn't help but smirk as he watched Genma try to get out from under the tree. "You put a lot of chakra into it, then."

"Yep," Sakura smiled as she rested her staff on her shoulder.

"Does that mean the staff you created to land on Genma was the same size as the one that fell on him earlier today?" Hayate found himself asking as he grinned; she couldn't be that evil, could she?

Sakura chuckled before grinning. "Yep." Oh, she so could be that evil.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's a cool plot twist : ) I hope you readers are ready for it; and I did change this chapter a bit. I think it goes along better with the story, and it makes a little more sense as to why Ino and Sakura would have a rematch. Edited 7/4/12**

**Thank you to all the reviews, favorites, and alerts. : )**

Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto

* * *

It was strange to be called back to the Hokage's at this hour. It was early in the morning, way earlier than she would have normally been up, but since her training with Hayate had started a week earlier, Sakura was usually up at this hour any ways.

Sakura walked up the Hokage's stairs as her mind began to wander. Could her visit have something to do with her new training routine, or did it have something to do with her saving Hayate?

Sakura's mind halted after she heard staggering footsteps behind her. Turning her head, Sakura's eyes widened slightly at the sight of Ino; the blonde's eyes were still clouded with sleep, and she seemed to be struggling to stay awake.

Sakura could have snorted at the pathetic picture Ino appeared to make, but then again she couldn't blame the poor girl. If she hadn't been working with Hayate and Genma this early in the morning, Sakura would have probably looked the same as Ino did right now.

Sighing, Sakura picked up her pace as she neared the Hokage's office. Maybe her and Ino were being sent on a mission; it would be weird, but not completely uncommon. Sakura just hoped she would be back for the last part of the chuunin exams; it was in two weeks, and Sakura was excited to see both her teammates fight.

Stepping before the Hokage's door, Sakura waited until Ino stood behind her. Knocking on the door, Sakura entered when she heard a quiet "come in."

It was so early in the morning that the sun had not risen yet, and the Hokage's office was incredibly dark because of that. Walking to the desk, Sakura bowed her head before looking to the Hokage.

"Good morning, Hokage-sama," Sakura said as she allowed herself to smile at Ino's sluggish bow.

"Good morning, Sakura, Ino," the Hokage said with a smile as he looked to the young girls. "I'm sorry to call you in so early, but there has been an interesting development concerning the chuunin exams."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as the Hokage continued. "One of the contestants, Dosu Kinuta was found dead earlier this morning. The Kages and I have come together and agreed that we need to replace his spot in the exams; we will also be redrawing everyone's opponent names after the final contestant is chosen."

"I don't want to be rude, Hokage-sama, but both Ino and I lost in the last part of the chuunin exams." Sakura said as she looked slightly confused; what was going on?

"Aa," the Hokage smiled at the green eyed girl's curiosity. "Because no one won your and Ino's match Sakura, the Kage's have decided to give you girls another chance at becoming chuunin. You will be fighting tomorrow in the arena, and whoever is the victor will fight in Dosu's stead."

"But I still don't understand," Sakura said with a slight frown. "Now that Dosu is dead, there is an even amount of ninja. Why would the Kage's wish to upset that?"

"Don't worry about it Sakura," the Hokage smiled slightly and nodded towards the two girls. "Now Ino, go get prepared. I will inform the village, and I assume you will have quite the audience tomorrow. Sakura, stay behind for a moment; I wish to speak with you."

Nodding sluggishly, Ino bowed before walking to the door. As Sakura watched Ino leave, she turned towards the Hokage in question.

"What's going on Hokage-sama?" Sakura asked well after Ino had left.

"I'm serious in stating that the Kages were the ones to make this decision," the Hokage said as he looked more than a little troubled. "The Kazekage was the one who really agreed with this decision… I wonder if they are hoping to get back at you, and are trying to do it during the final exams…"

"Hokage-sama?" Sakura questioned while she watched the Hokage fumble. "I don't even know if I'm going to be the one to win the fight between Ino and myself."

"You've become stronger over the past week, Sakura," Sarutobi said with a slight sigh. "There is no doubt in my mind that you will win… I am just wondering what the Kazekage is trying to plan… But look at me, mumbling like an old man. You should be preparing; your and Ino's battle begins tomorrow."

Nodding her head, Sakura left the office; that certainly wasn't what she had been expecting to happen when she had first come there.

XxxX

A knock woke Hayate as he grunted. Glancing outside his window he frowned; what time was it?

Another knock, louder this time, made Hayate stand. Glaring ahead of him, Hayate threw on some pants, and walked to his front door. Very few people knew where he lived, Hayate made sure of it.

It obviously wasn't the Hokage or anbu knocking on his door, because they wouldn't be knocking in the first place. Hayate also threw Genma out of the pot, because Genma would never be caught dead being up this early.

Arriving at his door, Hayate ran a hand through his hair before he undid his seal, and opened it. He was surprised to see Sakura before him; hadn't he set up a later training session between them?

"I'm sorry Hayate-sensei," Sakura said with a slight grin and blush. Hayate raised an eyebrow, but then realized he was shirtless in front of his student. Sighing he waved a hand and turned back towards his room.

Hearing the door click shut, Hayate smirked. Sakura had understood him, and would be waiting for him in his living room. "What are you doing here so early this morning, Sakura?" Hayate asked as he headed towards his bedroom. Grabbing a shirt, he placed it on before walking to his living room.

"Um, I have something to tell you, that you're probably not going to believe," Sakura said as she shook her head slightly. "I don't really believe it myself."

"Okay," Hayate said as he walked towards his living room chair. Sakura seemed too awake for this early in the morning. "Lay it on me."

"Ino and I are going to be having a rematch of our battle in the last part of the chuunin exams," Sakura said while she started to pace slowly in his living room. "Hokage-sama said whoever wins the match will be put in the final exams… he said that the other Kage's made the decision; the Kazekage was especially in support of the rematch."

Hayate's eyes widened and he looked slightly confused; it was way too early to being thinking this hard. "You and Ino are what?"

"Going to be fighting for a place in the final part of the chuunin exams," Sakura said as she let out a breathy sigh. "I really don't understand it much either, but I guess one of the participants was found dead this morning. Ino and I are going to be fighting tomorrow in the arena… And if I win, I will be in the final exams. Hokage-sama said the final contestants are even going to have to draw new numbers to make it fair."

"Holy shit," Hayate said as his eyes widened. "Why - how - What?"

"I know it's a lot to understand, but Ino and I are going to have our rematch tomorrow," Sakura said with a slight frown. "Can we start to work on water jutsu today?"

"Now?" Hayate asked with a slight sigh as he stood; of course she would want to now. Without even waiting for her response, Hayate grabbed his kunai pouch and headed towards the door. "Okay, Sakura, let's go."

Sakura smiled and nodded as she followed her sensei. Instead of racing over the rooftops, the two shinobi opted to walk. "Ino is the one that you fought after the forest of death, right?"

"Yeah," Sakura said with a determined tone. "I wasn't able to beat her last time, but I swear I'm going to beat her this time."

"I have no doubt of that," Hayate smirked as they continued to walk through the village. "The only reason you did not win last time was because you did not have enough fighting experience."

"Well I guess I need to focus on her weaknesses then," Sakura said with a wistful sigh as she thought to her old blonde friend. "I don't think she takes being a shinobi seriously; I think she used to be a lot like me before our fight ended in a draw. After that, I knew I needed to become stronger."

"Hm," Hayate pondered as they continued to walk. The sun was still not out, but the morning air was starting to get a little warmer. Thinking back to the battle Hayate had firsthand witnessed, Hayate frowned slightly. "If I remember the battle correctly, both of you were very determined."

"I guess you could say that," Sakura said as she walked next to Hayate. They walked past the tea shop that two had come to enjoy after their training sessions. Smiling, Sakura continued. "But it's not really important right now; what's our plan of action?"

"Well my plan is to get you as ready for tomorrow as I can," Hayate said with grin. "You don't need to go in to every battle with a set strategy, Sakura. That's usually not how it works in the field anyways, so we'll just train like we usually do."

"I know that, but I'm nervous, Hayate," Sakura said as they continued to walk through their village; Sakura noticed they were coming closer to the destination with every step they took. "I know one of Ino's strengths; it's her mind transfer jutsu."

"Yes, but you were already able to defeat that," Hayate said as his grin grew. "I doubt she would be stupid enough to try it again. I guess my advice to you is to stick with taijutsu. I have no doubt in your other abilities Sakura, but I think you should save most of your techniques for the final part of the exams."

"But Hayate, if I don't win there will be no final part of the exams," Sakura huffed slightly. Seeing the training grounds ahead, Sakura remembered that they were supposed to be training later than this; it appeared Genma would not be joining them for this particular session.

"Sakura, for the past week Genma and I have helped you work on your speed and earth based jutsu," Hayate said. "I know you practice more on your own, so I would suggest you hone the skills you are teaching yourself for tomorrow."

"So medical ninjutsu and my enhanced strength?" Sakura asked as they came to the clearing they usually trained at. The sun was trying to peak over the trees already, and Sakura frowned. She would train all day today, and fight Ino tomorrow.

"That's what I would suggest," Hayate nodded. "Would you like to spar before we get started with your training?"

"Yes please," Sakura said with a smirk; she loved sparring with her teammates. In the past couple of days, Hayate and Genma had been attacking her individually instead of ganging up on her. Though they were using more strength, Sakura found it easier just to concentrate on one person rather than two.

Hayate came at her with a kick from his left foot; Sakura ducked the kick and tried to sweep his legs out from underneath him. Hayate smirked, but flipped backwards before Sakura was even close to hitting him. "What did you think of the scrolls I gave you?" Hayate asked as he dodged a punch from the pink haired girl.

It was their agreement, during their morning spar neither was supposed to use chakra; they were only supposed to use taijutsu.

"I'm very thankful for them," Sakura said as she somersaulted forward and away from a heel kick Hayate had intended to hit her face. "If I beat Ino tomorrow there could be a possibility I would be fighting Sasuke, Naruto, Neji, or even Gaara..."

Hayate froze and looked to the pink haired girl. He was so shocked at what she said Hayate didn't even notice the punch she sent hammering into his gut, until it connected. Hayate grunted but held up a hand for her to stop. "Sorry Hayate-sensei," Sakura said with a frown. "Are you okay?"

"Sakura," Hayate's voice was very serious. "I remember what that Gaara kid did to Lee in the exams; I was the proctor. That kid is dangerous, I really don't want-"

"Well then I guess you should just train me harder then," Sakura said as she smiled brightly. "I know I could never be as fast as Lee, but I did read up on Gaara's profile. He uses sand by engulfing it in his chakra; I wonder if I could do that with dirt, or maybe even water.

"And who knows? I might not even have to fight him."

Hayate frowned but nodded. "I suppose with your chakra control I believe it could be done," Hayate said. "But we need to focus on training for tomorrow. When you beat Ino, then we'll know who you're fighting for the finals. After that we'll come up with a strategy."

"I thought ninja's didn't normally strategize," Sakura stated mockingly with a smirk.

"There is nothing normal about this situation," Hayate murmured to himself as he followed Sakura to the small stream near the training grounds. "Now let's get started."

XxxX

There were so many people; that was the one thought that raced through Sakura's mind. She stood in the middle of the area, Ino next to her, as well as the proctor for the exams: Anko. It appeared Genma was supposed to be the proctor, but he opted out of the job because of his friendship with Sakura. And here she thought he was still mad at her about the rock staff incident.

The arena was crowded, but Sakura assumed it was not as crowded as it would be in a couple weeks' time. The final exams would be more exciting than two female rivals fighting, wouldn't it?

Sakura also had a feeling that because of the crowds, Sand or Sound might get the nerve to try something. Sakura shook her head while trying to concentrate; she knew that would not be coming until later.

Searching through the crowd, Sakura smiled when she found team seven standing next to one of the railings. Naruto was yelling words of encouragement for her, Sasuke was just standing there, and Kakashi appeared to be curious. All of the Chuunin contestants were there, because after her and Ino's match was over, there would be a random draw to figure out the new opponents for the final part of the exam.

Glancing her eyes over the crowd again, Sakura's smile widened when she found the familiar silhouettes of Hayate and Genma; they appeared to be closer to the action than team seven was.

Sakura watched as the Hokage stood from his vantage point around the arena. "Welcome everyone," the Hokage spoke with a calm tone. "This will be a sort of pre-test for the chuunin exams. One of the participants has sadly passed leaving his position open to be filled by another.

"These two ladies before me neither won nor lost in their battle against each other," the Hokage continued as the arena remained quiet. "That is why myself, as well as the other Kage's agreed to their rematch. Proctor, let's begin."

Anko stood between the two girls; she had a predatory smirk on her face. Looking to each girl, Anko shook her head lightly. "I won't stop this match if it gets too bad," the woman said carelessly. "If you knock your opponent out, you win."

Raising her hand, Anko lowered it while saying, "Begin."

Sakura immediately flew a few feet back as she got into a more defensive stance. Watching Ino, Sakura almost scoffed at the blonde haired girl's smirk; did Ino think she would win?

Leaping forward, Sakura watched as Ino raced towards her fists raised. Sakura recalled this is what happened the last time they battled, but things would not end the same way.

Concentrating chakra into her fists, Sakura met Ino's punch with one of her own. A resounding crack was heard across the arena, and Ino was sent flying backwards.

Ino's eyes widened as they glistened with tears. Glaring towards Sakura, Ino stood while grabbing a few kunai with her good hand. Ino threw them towards Sakura, only to have the pink haired girl dodge all of them.

Sakura couldn't help but smirk at the battle. Grabbing a kunai of her own, Sakura raced towards Ino. Sakura watched as Ino's eyes widened at Sakura as she got to Ino faster than expected. Sakura was nowhere near as Lee fast, but she was significantly faster than she had been a week or so before.

Throwing the kunai to the ground, Sakura figured taijutsu would be the best choice. Ignoring the familiar need of putting a large amount of chakra into her fists again, Sakura threw punches and kicks at Ino without much chakra.

The speed Sakura came at Ino with caused Ino to falter and that was the only thing Sakura needed. Sending a kick to Ino's gut, Ino's body flew through the air until it landed a good ten feet away from Sakura.

Running to where the blonde lay, Sakura was tempted to try and attack her while she was down, but thought against it. Waiting till Ino stood, Sakura stood in a defensive position; fists raised and clenched both ready to fight or defend.

Ino stood on shaky feet, but charged at Sakura once again. Sakura had to hand it to Ino for the blonde's perseverance. Sakura ducked the kick Ino aimed for her head, and quickly flipped backward as Ino tried to lunge and tackle her.

Racing towards Ino, Sakura grunted as one of Ino's fists connected with her stomach. Ignoring the pain, Sakura ducked down, and swept Ino off of her feet. Ino landed on the ground with a grunt, but still tried to get up.

Sakura appeared over her a second later, with a kunai pressed tightly to Ino's neck, Sakura glanced to Anko. "Call it."

"Sakura Haruno wins," Anko stated with a slight eyebrow raise. Sakura stood and looked down to Ino. Frowning as the blonde cringed while she tried to stand, Sakura's hands started to glow green while they rested over Ino's stomach. It took Sakura longer than she wanted, but she slowly began to heal the bruise on Ino's stomach.

"You did good Forehead," Ino said with a smile and a thankful head nod. "I didn't know you grew so much since the last time we fought."

"Thanks, Pig," Sakura chuckled while the green vanished from her hands. Grabbing Ino's hand, Sakura helped the blonde stand; that's when Sakura realized where she was.

Glancing around her, the arena was silent; that must mean she obviously hadn't been in favor to win this fight. She couldn't really blame them though Ino's dad was pretty legendary.

She slowly watched as Ino was helped out of the arena. It seemed that this was the time to redraw names for the opponents.

"I would like all of the previous qualifiers to the Chuunin exams to come to the middle of the arena so we can redraw opponents," the Hokage spoke as he stood. Sakura waited in the middle of the arena as she watched the rest of the Chuunin exam qualifiers arrive next to her.

Standing right beside her was Naruto, who was giving Sakura a thumbs up, and a thousand watt smile. To her other side, Sasuke stood looking a lot more somber than the blonde. She watched as the rest of the contestants arrived; there were nine of them in all.

The Hokage stood with a large bowl before him. "I will draw a name, and then the Kazekage will draw a name," the Hokage spoke as he looked to Sakura. "In the end, the person we draw last will end up skipping the first round and will fight the winner of the last battle fought. If there are no questions, we shall begin."

"Naruto Uzumaki," Sarutobi said loudly as he drew the first name. The Kazekage was quick to draw the next name.

"Neji Hyuga," he said with little emotion.

"So the first battle will be between Naruto and Neji," Sarutobi said with a nod. Sakura sighed, at least she didn't have to fight against Naruto. "The next fight will begin with Temari no Sabaku."

"Her opponent will be," the Kazekage began as he drew the next name, "Shikamaru Nara."

"So the first two battles have not changed," the Hokage said with a nod. "The next battle will include Shino Aburame."

"And Kankuro Sabaku," the Kazekage said still void of emotions.

"And the last battle," the Hokage said as his face looked a little pained. "Will be Gaara no Sabaku,"

"And Sakura Haruno," the Kazekage said. It was strange, Sakura thought. The man had been void of emotion before, but now a vile smirk appeared to be growing on his face. Even though he wore a veil over the lower portion of his face, Sakura could practically feel the smirk radiating off of the Kazekage; this would surely not be good.

"So the battles are as stated," Sarutobi began with a shaky breath. "Naruto vs. Neji, Temari vs. Shikamaru, Kankuro vs. Shino, and Sakura vs. Gaara with Sasuke Uchiha fighting the winner of Sakura and Gaara's battle."

The look of pity Sakura was sent from the Hokage did not make her feel any better. Sighing, she bowed to the Kages before she started to walk towards the crowd.

She knew this battle between herself and Gaara would probably end badly; she had been witness to the red head's battle against Lee. Shaking her head slightly, Sakura figured she might as well be proud of herself, but then again, Sakura hoped someone else was proud of her.

She only hoped she had made Hayate-sensei proud; that's really all she wanted at this point. Walking through the crowd, Sakura stopped when she saw the two brunettes walking over to her.

Genma got to her first, and gripped her in a large bear hug. "Good job kid!" Genma smirked and let Sakura go.

"Thanks Genma," Sakura smiled and thanked the oldest out of the trio. Looking towards Hayate, Sakura smiled at the grin her sensei wore.

Hayate's arms wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug. Letting go of the girl, Hayate's grin looked a little forced, but Sakura could tell he was happy that she had won the fight against Ino. "Way to go, Sakura," Hayate said. "You made me proud to be your sensei."

Sakura couldn't help but blush; what she didn't know was if the blush was caused from Hayate's words of praise or the hug he gave her. Sakura was thinking it was probably a combination of both.

Sooo, do we like the changes?

Sakura is awesome : )


	6. Chapter 6

Hello : ) I decided to update as kind of an apology. I was going to change the previous chapter, which was why I deleted it, but then I decided not to change it.

**FINALLY I get to change the slime part that made so many people irritated with me. Yes, I do know snakes are rather scaly… I just figured slime = Orochimaru soo, bahh. Well, I'm leaving the slime but changing the reasoning of why it was left behind.: ) Edited 7/4/12**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

Sakura felt weird being in the Hokage's office again. Hadn't she just been here a few days before? This time was different, however, because now both Genma and Hayate were next to her.

"Why did you want to see us, Hokage-sama?" Hayate asked while looking to his leader. It wasn't strange for him and Genma to be called into the office together for a mission; Hayate was curious as to why Sakura was there.

"I'm afraid we've heard more rumors surrounding Suna and Oto's intentions," the Hokage stated as a he frowned. "It appears they are going to attack us during one of the rounds at the exam..."

"Didn't we already know this already?" Hayate asked in confusion. Hadn't he already told the Hokage this? "After I was attacked I thought we were sure that was their intentions."

"Yes, but now we know what match everything will be starting at," the Hokage gave a sad smile towards the group of three. "It looks like Gaara no Sabaku will be the one to initiate the attack. And you all know who Gaara's opponent will be..."

All eyes turned to Sakura as the talking stopped almost immediately. This news seemed to frighten Sakura a little more than she already was. Gaara scared her, but the fact that he was going to be the one of the forces leading sand and sound against her home scared her even more.

"What else did you find out?" Genma asked while his eyes looked back to the Hokage. Sakura closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and looked to the Hokage as well. There was a reason for this meeting; Sakura knew it wasn't just to inform them of Suna's intentions.

"Because of what she knows Gaara's orders will probably include killing Sakura." The Hokage explained calmly. Sakura found it hard to breathe for a second, but soon found her bearings. She knew helping Hayate would put her in the line of fire. Taking a deep breath, Sakura began to speak.

"But don't they know I already talked to you?" Sakura asked with a frown as she looked to the elder man before her. "Shouldn't that mean they should be attacking me now, or even already tried to attack me? And wouldn't they try to kill Hayate too, for that matter?"

"Oh they most definitely know you told me," the Hokage said with a slight nod. Sakura noticed idly, that the Hokage was taking this rather well. "The problem is that they see you as the person who could or did ruin their plans. They will be out for blood when it comes down to it.

"Hayate will also be seen as a target," the Hokage stated with another nod. "I believe you will be more of a target though, Sakura, because you are only a genin, and would be easier to… take out."

"Why haven't they already attacked?" Hayate asked as his brown eyes looked towards his student. The idea of her dying was not one he wanted to think about. Hayate knew he would try to do everything in his power to repay her for saving him.

"Over-confidence?" The Hokage said with a slight shrug; it was obvious that he wasn't too sure about their delay in attack. "Either that or they are trying to rethink their plan of attacking us. They might be trying to come up with a better strategy."

"So... Why are we here?" Sakura asked with a frown. All this talk was giving her a slight headache, and she really did not want to have to deal with everything after the training Genma and Hayate had just put her through.

"For your safety, Sakura, I am sending you, as well as Hayate and Genma, to another village to train for the exams." The Hokage said with an even tone.

"I thought shinobi participating in the exams had to stay in the village the exams were being held at?" Sakura questioned as her frown grew; she would have to leave the village? She didn't want to have to leave her friends, or her village period. Wasn't there another way?

"That's true, but this is a special circumstance." The Hokage said as he smiled slightly. "This will be a mission, so the other Kages have no say over it, because you are all my shinobi.

"As it will be written, the three of you will be sent to look for Tsunade-hime. I have a feeling she might be needed for this battle, so I will be sending you to the last place she was reported to be seen."

"So we are to train Sakura while looking for Tsunade?" Genma asked as he raised a brown eyebrow.

"Precisely," the Hokage said with an affirmative head nod. "I expect you guys to leave by tonight, and be back on the day of the chuunin exam finals; no earlier, no later. Is that understood?"

All three ninja nodded as they bowed to the Hokage.

"Good, then here's the scroll. Dismissed."

XxxX

Sakura was slightly confused as she walked back to her home. She understood that the Hokage was sending her, Hayate, and Genma away, but why was he doing so now? It would have made more sense to send them away earlier, in Sakura's opinion. Sighing, Sakura walked into her house, and headed towards her room.

If she was to be gone for a little under two weeks, she really needed to pack. She hadn't been on that long of a mission since… well actually period; she hadn't been on that long of a mission period.

Grabbing her backpack, Sakura grabbed a few shirts from her closet as well as a few pair of shorts. Walking over to her desk, Sakura grabbed some scrolls she had obtained from the library. The Tsunade-hime person the Hokage had talked about; Sakura tried to remember where she had heard that name before.

She knew Tsunade was a sannin, but there was another reason Sakura knew her name. Had she read it in a scroll somewhere?

Shaking her head slightly, Sakura went back to packing. Hayate had told them to meet at his apartment in an hour to go over mission plans and details. The plans seemed simple enough, but Hayate had wanted to make sure everyone knew what they were doing.

Walking back over to her closet, Sakura grabbed her shinobi pouch, and placed a few more kunai and senbon in her backpack. Genma had been trying to teach her to aim better; Sakura was hopeful the lessons would help, because she knew she was a terrible shot.

Finishing grabbing her things, Sakura ran to the kitchen to write a note to her parents. Because they were merchants, Sakura did not see them as often as she would have liked. It was something she was learning to deal with, and it felt like she was living alone at times.

Grabbing a few containers of food from her counter, Sakura threw them in her bag, and continued out the door.

The sun was starting to set as she made her way to Hayate's apartment. The day had gone by quickly, because of the early morning training session, as well as their daily lunch at the tea house. Before leaving the tea house, the three had been stopped by an anbu stating the Hokage had wanted to see them.

Overall, Sakura could say her days now that Hayate was teaching her were anything but boring. Every day it seemed like they were trying to focus on something new. Sakura grinned slightly when she thought about her training sessions.

Of course she wasn't anywhere near Sasuke's level or Naruto's for that matter, but she was steadily improving, and she was very proud of that. The determination Sakura felt to become stronger was for herself. She wanted to be stronger so she could prove herself a worthy teammate. And, Sakura thought sadly, she really didn't want to be left behind any longer.

Continuing her slow pace towards Hayate's, Sakura thought back to her new sensei. It was surprising how easy it was learning things from both him, and Genma. Sakura knew she never held Kakashi's attention for long; maybe a new sensei was just what she needed to become a better shinobi. Sakura certainly thought so.

And not to mention Genma helped as well. The two of them had been overly kind while training her; they were tough sure, but they would actually listen to Sakura when she had questions. That was something she wasn't really used to.

Arriving at Hayate's apartment complex, Sakura found herself easing up the stairs to her sensei's apartment. She hadn't really gotten used to calling someone other than Kakashi her sensei either; and Hayate was a lot younger than her previous teacher. Did he think it was weird to be called sensei? Hmm, Sakura would have to ask him that later.

Arriving at the apartment door, Sakura knocked twice before the door was opened. Hayate stood with a smile as he let her in. "Genma's not here yet," the brunette said with a sigh. "He probably won't be here until the hour is up."

"It's going to be kind of different," Sakura said as she walked to Hayate's living room. "I've never been on a mission with anyone else but my team."

"Yeah, but you could have it worse," Hayate nodded towards the pink haired girl as he sat across from her. The mission scroll was laid out on his living room table between the two of them. "Genma once had a mission with Lee and Gai."

Sakura shivered at the thought of the two 'twins', and how they would act when alone with just one other person. Sakura felt pity for Genma, but could help but giggle at the thought.

"Yeah," Hayate said as he smirked. "Genma's clothes ended up getting damaged on the mission, and he had to borrow one of Gai's jumpsuits."

Sakura's giggle increased and she was practically in tears. Genma in one of Gai's jumpsuits? Oh Kami, that image must have been priceless. "Please tell me you got to see that?" Sakura asked through another fit of giggles.

"Oh, he did," Genma's voice was heard as the door to the apartment opened and closed. Genma walked into the living room as he glared towards Hayate.

"Oh Genma-sensei," Sakura tried to stifle her giggles as she looked to the older male. "I'm sorry. That must have been really traumatizing."

"I couldn't wear green for weeks after that!" Genma yelled as he shivered slightly. Sakura couldn't help but laugh at the man again; was he really serious?

"Alright, kids," Hayate said while looking to the two in front of him with a smirk. "We should get to talking about our mission."

"Fine," Genma said with a frown as he crossed his arms. Sitting next to Sakura, he looked to Hayate to begin.

"So reports say that Tsunade is in Tanzaku," Hayate said while his eyes skimmed the scrolls. "We should arrive there in a day or two, because of the extra stopping we'll have to do for your training, Sakura."

"So we'll be looking for Tsunade as well as training?" Sakura raised a questioning eyebrow. "I know that's what Hokage-sama said, it just seems weird to me to train while we're on a mission."

"We don't want to have to throw you to the wolves when you face Gaara, Sakura," Genma said as he leaned back on the couch. "Maybe if we're lucky, Tsunade-hime will help with your training."

"We'll need to find her first, Genma," Hayate said as he frowned. "Tsunade-hime is known for her ability to be practically invisible when she does not want to be bothered."

"Meh," Genma said with a dismissing hand wave. "We'll find her."

"So we'll be leaving now, then?" Sakura asked as she watched Hayate roll up his scroll. Sakura was sure this mission would be exciting, to say the very least. These two men would be training her, protecting her, and they would also be searching for this Tsunade person.

"Yeah," Hayate said as he put the now rolled of scroll in his pack. "Does everyone have everything they need?"

"Yep," Genma responded with a nod of the head. Sakura smirked before answering.

"I do," Sakura said while turning her emerald orbs toward Genma. "But aren't you missing your green jumpsuit, Genma?"

"Sakura!"

Sakura giggled as she ran out the front door, and towards the front gate. She knew Genma and Hayate would both catch up to her easily, but she really couldn't pass up the chance to make fun of Genma. It was really too easy, and too fun not to.

Sure enough, within a few seconds of her running over rooftops, Genma and Hayate appeared at her sides. She turned her head towards Genma, and smirked at the glare that was directed towards her.

Turning her head towards Hayate, she could tell he was having a hard time trying not to laugh. "You have to admit that was a good one, Genma," Hayate said with a chuckle as the three increased their speed.

"Sure," Genma stated sarcastically as he threw both of them a glare. "If you hadn't told her about the jumpsuit, it really wouldn't be bothering me right now."

"You deserve it," Hayate said as he looked to Genma. "You make fun of everyone; it's about time someone gets you back every once in a while."

Sakura giggled quietly as she watched Genma pout about what Hayate said. These men were supposed to be adults? Sakura really couldn't see the maturity in Genma; Hayate was definitely more mature, but really? How much older than her were they supposed to be?

Thinking to the two beside her, Sakura smiled. The two fought like brothers now and then, but she could tell they both were always friends in the end. The two actually reminded her a lot of Sasuke and Naruto in a way.

Shaking her head slightly, Sakura frowned. She really hadn't seen her teammates in a while, but she knew they were both busy getting ready for the exams. She wondered how the two males felt about her being added to the exams; she never really had gotten the chance to ask them. And how would the two react when they saw how strong she had become?

That would be something she would be looking forward to. Hopefully Gaara wouldn't make her look like a fool, but Sakura wasn't so sure. He had made Lee look weak, and Sakura knew Lee wasn't weak at all.

Frowning, Sakura tried to move her thoughts to the mission at hand. Train, and find Tsunade. It seemed easy enough, but Sakura knew that things usually weren't as easy as they seemed.

Arriving at the Konoha gate, Sakura nodded to the two chuunin on duty. Hayate showed the chuunin their mission scroll, and the three of them were quickly on their way. Sakura followed quickly as Hayate and Genma jumped to the trees.

Sakura found herself frowning as she jumped through the trees in the dark. It took a lot in her to concentrate on finding the next branch to jump on, especially because she couldn't see that well. She could tell Genma and Hayate were slowing down a little bit so she could keep up, but it really couldn't be helped.

Sighing, Sakura concentrated a little more, and slowly began to pick up her pace. Sakura was determined not to slow her teammates down. Leaping in front of her two teammates, Sakura frowned as her foot slipped off the tree branch. Just as she was starting to fall, Sakura caught herself by grabbing onto the branch with both of her arms. Sighing, Sakura pulled herself up on the branch as Hayate and Genma both stopped to see what had happened.

"You slipped off the branch?" Hayate asked while jumping forward to the branch she was on. Sakura nodded, and looked to the branch. There was something off about it, but Sakura couldn't tell what it was.

"Is this branch wet?" Genma asked as he too jumped forward to be on the same branch the other two were. Kneeling down, Genma touched the branch and raised an eyebrow at the wet and recognizable substance that seemed to surround the branch.

"It hasn't rained in a while," Sakura said as her eyebrow rose too.

"Trap?" Genma questioned quietly while his eyes scanned the area around them.

"Hm," Hayate said as his eyes danced around the trees as well. "Maybe, maybe not. We'll stick to the ground from here on out, though."

"Why is the branch wet?" Sakura asked as the three of them descended towards the ground. Looking to Genma, his fingers weren't just wet, but it appeared to be sticky as well.

"It kind of feels like slime in a way," Genma said with a frown as he looked to Hayate.

"Slime?"

"Yeah," Genma nodded quickly. "I know some summons leave behind a slimy substance when they are dismissed and go back to their masters… snakes often do, but so do butterflies, slugs, and some birds do too, as weird as that sounds."

"Snakes?" Sakura tried to question as her eyes widened slightly. Snakes only made her think of one thing… Orochimaru.

"There are other possibilities for having slime on the tree," Hayate said as he frowned. "Let's try not to think about it for now, and move out."

XxxX

Hayate sat beside Genma as they took the first watch while Sakura slept. The two had been thinking over what had happened earlier in the night.

"A snake," Genma said while looking toward the pinkette. "Do you think it has anything to do with Orochimaru?"

"I do," Hayate said as his eyes danced across the forest. "I think he is just curious as to what we are doing, and will stay curious, for now. I've had the feeling that we were being watched since we left Konoha."

"Me too," Genma sighed while he looked to his comrade beside him.

"We'll just have to be a bit more wary," Hayate said with a sigh. "Once we get to Tanzaku I don't think it will really be an issue. Especially when we find Tsunade-sama; I don't think he'd dare try and spy on us when she's around."


	7. Chapter 7

**So I decided to erase all of my random bitchy babble up here; it wasn't really worth it to keep it. Everyone should know that this is my story, and I will write it in whatever way I see fit. Reviews and suggestions are completely welcome. I even accept flames, even though they discourage me greatly; I feel like everyone has a right to their opinion.**

**: ) I hope you are all enjoying this little editing session I'm doing. I am trying to do it pretty much all at the same time so I don't bother you all t**

oo much. Thank you for your patience with me.

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Sakura had awoken for her shift as she watched Genma turn in to go to sleep. It was probably about midnight, and she loved being in the forest at night. The stars in the sky always seemed brighter when in the forest.

Sighing, Sakura stood from her roll, and walked to where Hayate sat by the fire. "Hey Hayate-sensei," Sakura said with a friendly wave. "Any trouble so far?"

"None that we couldn't take care of," Hayate stated with a smile. There had been a couple of mating squirrels that had fallen on top of Genma's head, but Sakura didn't need to know that. I mean he had already told the girl an embarrassing story about Genma today; this one would have to wait for another time.

"Good," Sakura smiled while sitting down. Looking over to her sensei, Sakura frowned. "Hey Hayate-sensei, do you like being called sensei?"

Hayate raised an eyebrow, but sighed. "To tell you the truth Sakura, I never really thought about it," Hayate said with a shrug. "You don't need to call me sensei, but if you want to, you can. I guess it really doesn't matter to me."

"Okay Hayate-se, Hayate," Sakura said with a smile and a nod. Hayate watched as Sakura frowned, and appeared to get lost in her thoughts. It was easy to do when one was almost alone in the forest, but the problem was, the group of three certainly were not alone.

Hayate didn't know of Orochimaru's true intentions; no one could really know what the sick bastard wanted. Hopefully meeting up with Tsunade-sama later would give him some insight on the crazed man; he owed it to his student to do so.

Turning back to his student, she was still deep in thought. "What's wrong, Sakura?" Hayate couldn't help but ask.

"I was just thinking back to the snake in the forest," Sakura said as she unconsciously shivered. "I remember in the chuunin exams Orochimaru had a snake summons."

"You shouldn't really worry about it," Hayate said with a frown; had she read his mind or something? "Genma and I won't let anything happen to you. You shouldn't be worried."

"I'm not," Sakura said as her frown twitched up into a small smile. "If he's watching us that means he's not concentrating on Sasuke. Sasuke's dealing with… a lot right now. I hope Naruto can be there for him."

Hayate raised an eyebrow but did not say anything else. He had of course heard rumors about Sakura's undying love for Sasuke, but that didn't seem to be true right now. She was still concerned about the Uchiha, but if she really loved him like everyone thought, then Sakura would not be going on this mission; she would have stayed back in Konoha to make sure Sasuke was okay.

That caused Hayate to smile, but he didn't understand why. Maybe Hayate was happy about Sakura not having any distractions in her training; Kami knew they were fighting an uphill battle already, but Hayate thought it might have been something else entirely. Shaking his head from side to side, Hayate sighed. He probably just needed sleep.

The next few hours passed slowly, but Sakura thought it was comforting. She hadn't had a lot of time to think to herself lately. She was usually training, or hanging out with Hayate and Genma; come to think of it, when was the last time she had time to think by herself? It had surely been over a week ago, hadn't it?

Shaking her head, Sakura's mind started to float to her teammates back in Konoha. How were Naruto's and Sasuke's training coming along? She guessed they were going to be even stronger than they had been. Well, she was going to be stronger, too, but something told Sakura, if the chuunin exams were allowed to play all the way through, that Naruto and Sasuke would be at the end fighting each other.

The thought made Sakura smile, until she thought about Sasuke again. His cursed seal mark scared her. Sakura really didn't know anything about the mark; the only thing she knew was it made Sasuke really angry, and really scary. It was like his whole aura changed when the seal took over him. She hoped that Kakashi had done something to try and stop the curse mark from spreading.

Sighing to herself, Sakura then thought of Naruto, and she couldn't prevent the smile. He was going to show Konoha how strong he was. Finally, after years of having people hate him, he was going to show how perfect he was for the roll of a Hokage. She knew Naruto was going to impress her; the blonde never did anything half-assed.

Sakura smiled as she looked over to her new sensei; he was currently sleeping in his bedroll. She had saved his life, two times over, but she wasn't going to hang that over his head. Helping a fellow ninja while they were in trouble just made sense, but, Sakura really didn't know how she had been able to cure his disease; as she trained more in the medical field, though, it was constantly on her mind.

She was also trying to improve her medical skills, because she never did find out how she was able to heal him, and she had not been able to heal something that serious since. She was able to heal minor cuts and wounds, but it irked her that she was not able to heal deep gashes, or diseases like she had earlier; was it only a onetime thing? She really hoped it wasn't, because if she wanted to be strong for Konoha, then she really needed to be a med-nin.

Sighing, Sakura watched as Hayate moved slightly in his sleep. She really did need to thank him again, and also thank Genma for dealing with her. She wasn't even Genma's responsibility, and yet he had treated her so kindly and tried to teach her everything he knew.

The two, Hayate and Genma, were growing on her greatly, and Sakura hoped when the chuunin exams were over they would still be training her. It made her kind of sad actually; the thought that they would no longer be in her life. She had really gotten close to those two in the past two weeks; she depended on the two.

And they never treated her like some weak little flower; team seven always did. Sakura didn't want people protecting her anymore, she wanted the resources to protect herself, and that was what Genma and Hayate were going to give her.

Smiling slightly, Sakura looked over to the senbon wielding man. His eyes were closed and he was flicking his senbon around with his tongue. I guess people could say he was attractive; he was definitely the tall, dark, and handsome type. But thinking that, Sakura shook her head. Genma was too loud; he reminded her of Naruto sometimes, and Sakura could never be with someone that reminded her of Naruto.

She found Hayate to also be attractive, but at least Hayate wasn't as loud as Genma was. Sure Hayate could tease people, but at least he wasn't as immature as Genma was.

Woah, wait. Sakura shook her head while closing her eyes; why was she thinking about how attractive her senseis were? She coughed slightly into her fist, and that caused Genma to look over with a raised eyebrow.

"You alright, Sakura?" Genma asked as he scooted closer to her. Sakura sighed but nodded.

"I guess I'm just tired of silence," Sakura said with a slight laugh.

"Well you should have said that early, Sakura," Genma smirked. "What would you like to know?"

Sakura closed her eyes as she tried to think of a good question. Opening her eyes, Sakura smiled as she looked to the older jounin beside her. "How did you and Hayate meet?"

There was a spark in Genma's eyes, and Sakura couldn't help but smile at his expression. Sakura had a feeling that this story would be a good one. "Well first, I guess we met in the academy," Genma stated with a smirk. "In the academy I was always the popular one; I had so many friends. And poor Hayate, I felt bad for him a lot, he really didn't have many friends; I guess you could say he was kind of a creepy little kid. He liked to eat rocks, and bugs," Genma's grin was flooding his face at the moment; Sakura just shook her head as he continued.

"You know me, Sakura. I have always been very popular with the ladies, and I was even in the academy. One of the girls in particular became obsessed with me. I guess the girl was Hayate's only crush, and I had taken her away from him. She was my number one fan girl, and she was very pretty. In the end, Hayate and I were put on the same genin team with the girl, and we ended up fighting, a lot."

"Then how are you guys such great friends today?' Sakura asked with a small smile; something about this story made her think Genma was lying. Sakura would have to ask Hayate about it later, because there was no way Genma was as hot as he was saying he was.

"I ended up turning the girl away just so Hayate could be happy," Genma said with a sigh as his eyes began to sparkle once again. "I told her that having a friendship with Hayate was more important than having a relationship with her. She ended up quitting the team, and was replaced with a girl neither of us felt romantic feelings for, and everything turned out great."

Sakura started giggling right away, and a snort from Hayate's bed roll could be heard. "That was a great little fairy tale, Genma," Hayate said while sitting up. Genma smirked but nodded.

"I knew you'd like it," Genma stated with a grin, but it faltered slightly. "But it's definitely the truth."

"I'm sure Sakura didn't believe a word you said," Hayate mused as he stood from his bed. Rolling it up quickly, he looked back to the two standing beside the fire. "We should start cleaning up the camp sight so we can train before leaving."

Sakura smiled and finished packing up her belongings. Looking to the two older men, Sakura raised an eyebrow. "What are we going to be working on today?"

"Speed and agility," Genma smirked as he grabbed a few senbon from his pouch.

"And Dodging," Hayate said while throwing a kunai towards her.

This was going to be a long practice.

XxxX

The days had been progressing slowly as they moved forward to Tanzaku. It had taken longer than Hayate had originally planned, but finally, the group had arrived. Sakura smiled as she and her senseis walked into the village; it had taken three days to get to the small town. In that amount of time Sakura trained twice a day, and walked the rest of the day.

The days had been becoming repetitious, and she was glad to get to somewhere new. Looking over to Genma, he seemed to be more excited than she was to get to town. "Where are we going to be staying?" Sakura asked as the two men moved forward into the village.

Hayate sighed on the other side of Sakura. "I'm not sure yet," Hayate said while glancing around the street. "We'll have to find a hotel. I just want to make sure Tsunade is still in the village before we do so, however. I suggest we split up and look for Tsunade. Genma and I will look in the different gambling casinos, and you can look in the onsens, Sakura."

"Alright," Sakura said with a nod. "So we'll meet back where and when?"

"Um," Hayate said as his eyes danced across the different food stalls that were in front of him. "I guess over by the dango stand in two hours. If we find her before then we'll come to find her."

Nodding, Sakura started walking forward until she realized she didn't know where she was heading. Looking back at where Genma and Hayate had just been standing, Sakura sighed when she could no longer see them. This probably wasn't a very good start to the day.

"At least they're letting me do some of the mission on my own," Sakura said below her breath. Closing her eyes, Sakura tried to think of where the onsens were located, and then opened they quickly. "I don't even know what she looks like!"

Shaking her head, Sakura walked over to a small restaurant and decided to calm herself with some tea. Closing her eyes, she started to think. Tsunade-hime would have a great amount of chakra, and even though she would be suppressing her chakra, Sakura hoped she'd still be able to sense at least a part of it. Hayate was trying to teach her more about sensing others around her.

Keeping her eyes closed, Sakura quickly tried to feel around with her chakra. Since civilians never really developed their chakra, Sakura could easily decipher who were ninjas, and who were not in this village. Mostly people were civilians, but Sakura could feel ninja; she assumed there were more ninja that were masking their chakra, however. Opening her eyes, Sakura decided she would try to track down every ninja she could sense in the village until she found Tsunade-hime.

Heading out of the restaurant, Sakura headed left and started sensing on that side of the village. Heading into the shopping district, Sakura dodged the tourists that were visiting the village. Tanzaku was a known vacation haven for civilians; the village was filled with casinos and onsens.

Sighing, Sakura headed to where she felt the closest chakra signature. Raising an eyebrow at who she found before her, Sakura shook her head and started to head toward the next chakra signature; Sakura was fairly certain Tsunade was a female, and the ninja that had been before her was very certainly male.

Frowning, Sakura walked away. She had a feeling if she continued to use chakra tracking to try and find Tsunade, it would take all day. Looking around her, Sakura decided to ask someone where the onsens were; at least she could do what Hayate asked her to.

Walking up to a raven haired woman, Sakura smiled before bowing slightly. "Excuse me," Sakura said in the politest way possible. "Would you by chance know where the women's bath houses are?"

The woman shuddered slightly, but nodded. "They're in that direction," she said while pointing to the opposite way Sakura had been headed. "But I wouldn't suggesting going there right now. Tsunade-sama is pretty upset with losing more money again…"

"Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked as she raised a slight eyebrow. Was it really this easy? She just had to ask around for the woman, and then she would find her? Kami she was stupid; why hadn't she done that in the first place? "You know Tsunade-sama?"

It was the raven haired woman's turn to raise an eyebrow, before she narrowed it slightly. "Why?"

"I need to speak with her," Sakura said as hope began to shine in her eyes. This woman was obviously a friend of Tsunade's or something. "The Hokage has sent me from-"

The raven haired woman frowned and then shook her head. "To send a kid to try and bribe Tsunade-sama to come back," she said. "What is Hokage-sama thinking? Tsunade is not ready to go back yet-"

"Well she better be," a voice spoke from behind Sakura. Turning her head, she saw both Hayate and Genma standing there with a grim smile. "We have important information we need to tell her."

"She won't be very happy," the woman sighed, but started to walk in the direction she had pointed Sakura earlier. "She rarely is when she gets interrupted from a bath, and not to mention she was in a bad mood before her bath."

"But it's important," Sakura said while walking next to the dark haired woman. "I don't know who you are, but something very bad is going to happen to Konoha in a few weeks. Hokage-sama really needs Tsunade-sama back for this."

Raising an eyebrow, the unknown woman didn't say anything more as she continued to walk forward. Sakura took a step back, and waited for Genma and Hayate to catch up to her. "Hokage-sama didn't mention anything about an assistant," Sakura said with a frown.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura," Genma said with a smirk; Sakura then realized his eyes had not left the woman's behind. "Shizune-san is always with Tsunade-sama."

Sakura looked to Hayate, and he just shrugged. "We'll get to talk to Tsunade-sama soon anyway," Hayate said as he frowned toward Genma. "Hokage-sama would have said something if we were not to trust her apprentice, and he didn't."

Nodding, the group of three continued to follow Shizune towards the bath houses. Once they arrived, however, a new problem presented itself. "You guys can't go in," Shizune said with a glare towards the two males. "This is a woman's bath house."

"Aw, come on," Genma stated as he flashed her a smirk. "We're not going to look or anything."

"You're just as bad as Jiriaya," A voice coming out of the bath house said. Sakura stood unbelieving as a mid-twenty year old blonde woman exited the onsen; wasn't Tsunade supposed to be older than that?

"Tsunade-sama," Shizune bowed to the woman. Sakura's eyes widened slightly, but then she shook her head; some women aged more gracefully than others, she guessed.

"What does the Hokage want now?" Tsunade asked with a grunt as she looked to the three before her. Her eyes rested on Sakura more than the other two; wasn't she a little young to be on a mission with two jounin?

"I don't think this would be the best place to talk about that, Tsunade-sama," Hayate responded quickly as he bowed his head. "I would think your hotel room would have more privacy."

Sakura watched as Tsunade raised an eyebrow. The blonde nodded, and sighed. "This doesn't sound too good."

"It's not," Sakura said, speaking in front of the blonde for the first time. The pink haired girl frowned as she thought about the upcoming attack. "I can assure you."


	8. Chapter 8

A Chance Encounter 8

Hello my wonderful readers! Sorry I haven't updated lately; I've been seriously distracted by other stories I am currently trying to write, and plus, I've been having a little bit of writers block.

Are we ready for a wee bit of action my friends? I thank you deeply for all the wonderful reviews I have been getting. You all rock hardcore.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**Edited 7/4/12**

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Sakura stood while watching the long blonde haired woman sit cross-legged on the bed. After finding each other at the bath house, Tsunade had so graciously invited them back to her and Shizune's hotel room. Tsunade had been showing a surprising amount of patience thus far when dealing with the three Konoha shinobi. Sakura figured the Sannin would want answers right away; at least everything Sakura had read up on Tsunade would imply her to be kind of a hot head. It seemed the pinkette had been wrong on her first impression of Tsunade though.

"I think I've been waiting long enough," the blonde stated while looking to the three in front of her. Sakura fought a smile; maybe she had been right in the first place. "Explain what's going on, now before I make you all leave."

"We're here because Konoha is going to be attacked," Hayate said while looking straight at the blonde. "There was an incident several weeks ago where myself and Sakura discovered an alliance between Sound and Suna. The two plan to attack Konoha at the Chuunin exam finals coming up within the next two weeks."

Tsunade's eyebrow knit together and a frown set on her features. It seemed the news hadn't completely shocked her. "So the rumors that Orochimaru is leading Sound are true, then."

"Yep," Genma said with a nod as his eyes went to the raven haired woman who sat beside Tsunade. Sakura could have rolled her eyes at Genma; this really wasn't the time to check out Tsunade's student. Genma could be so dense sometimes.

"But we know about their plan, right?" Shizune asked as her frown seemed to mirror Tsunade's. Shizune was very pretty, Sakura had to admit. Genma would be chasing after her for as long as they were going to be in each other's company. "Hokage-sama will be able to stop it?"

"Not entirely," Hayate said with a shake of his head. "Hokage-sama doesn't have the authority to stop the exams, not when we have so many talented young genin. And Hokage-sama also wants to have the chance to finally get rid of Orochimaru. The invasion plan would be the perfect opportunity to do so."

"We also don't know everything about their upcoming attack," Genma said as one of his hands lazily combed through his hair. "We know that the attack will occur sometime during Sakura and Gaara's match; we don't know much about their intended target though. We assume Hokage-sama will be one of them, but I know Orochimaru is planning to take out more than just the Hokage."

Tsunade took in a deep breath, and then nodded. It looked like she was finally able to understand the situation Konoha was in. Looking to the three people in front of her, her gaze fell on the pink haired girl. "Why is she here?" Tsunade found herself asking before she could stop.

Hayate smiled slightly as his eyes went to his student. "It's kind of a long story, but after finding out about Sound and Suna's plans, I was caught and almost killed. Sakura was able to save my life, and together we were able to tell Hokage-sama of the invasion plans."

"She saved your life?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow while trying to size up the pink haired girl. This girl was obviously a genin; the idea that a genin could save a jounin's life was almost preposterous.

"I had actually been fatally wounded," Hayate said while his gaze turned slightly dazed. It wasn't easy for him to remember that night; he had acted so foolishly. "Sakura was able to heal me using medical ninjutsu."

Tsunade's eye brow rose even more as she looked to the pink haired girl. Sakura assumed the older woman wanted an explanation, so she started to give her one. "I had been studying medical ninjutsu text books that night in the library because I needed to get stronger. When I saw that Hayate was hurt, I couldn't just sit back and watch him die… I tried to use my chakra to heal him, and I ended up doing so."

"You were able to read about medical ninjutsu and then you were able to do it?" Tsunade asked; her tone of voice made the idea sound like it could never happen, but Sakura thought that her circumstance was kind of unbelievable. She had not heard of anyone being able to do what she had done.

Who else would have been able to read and then repeat so easily? No one that Sakura knew, that was for sure. Sure, Sasuke would have been able copy the jutsu, but he would have needed to see the jutsu done, and then needed to practice the jutsu before completely getting it right. It was only because Sakura had completely thrown herself into the healing that Hayate was alive.

Now that she thought about it, she had never been able to completely throw herself into anything like that; she had never been that dedicated before. If she hadn't have healed him, then he would have died. It's as simple as that: she had needed to do it.

"Yes," Sakura said finally nodding her head, and ignoring the incredulous look on Shizune's face. "I was, and still am interested in getting as strong as I can. Hayate needed to be healed, so I tried to heal him."

Sakura watched as Tsunade's eyes glanced towards Shizune, and the two shared a brief nod together before they looked back to Sakura. "Have you been able to heal anybody since?" Tsunade asked while trying to fight a smile from appearing on her face; Sakura could tell by the quirk of her lips that she was fighting one.

Sighing, Sakura shook her head. "Not really," she replied lamely. "I'm able to heal small cuts and bruises, but I can't concentrate enough to a large wound or illness like I had before."

"Hm," Tsunade said with a thoughtful look on her face. It took her a few minutes until she decided to continue with what she was going to say; no one wanted to interrupt the silence that had fallen throughout the room. "I will agree to come to Konoha on one condition."

"Whatever it is," Hayate said with a nod of his head; Sakura thought it was weird seeing him so serious. "We agree."

"Well I didn't state my terms yet," Tsunade said as she fought a growing smirk that seemed to be glowing on her face. "Sakura, if you are able to learn the mystic palm technique from me, and are able to heal the way I expect you to before your two weeks in this village are up, then I will go with you to Konoha."

Both Genma and Hayate's eyes turned to the pink haired girl who was currently frowning. Sakura didn't like the idea that the whole village would ultimately be resting on her shoulders; if she couldn't figure out this jutsu then her home would not be as well off as she hoped.

Sakura sighed, before looking up at her two teachers; both of them looked nervous, but they both looked hopeful. They looked like they believed in her. Maybe she could do this… "I agree," Sakura said with a nod of her head. "But under my own condition: if I'm able to do learn this jutsu like you want me to, when we get back to Konoha, I want you to accept me as your apprentice."

Tsunade raised her eyebrow slightly, but then gave Sakura a grin. "Alright," she said with a nod of her head. "Let's see what you can do."

XxxX

Sakura stood in a secluded field; trees were the only things that stood near her. She was sweating and tired, but she wasn't about to stop now. Before her was Tsunade, and the blonde woman was looking less than impressed with Sakura's attempt at the jutsu.

"I am still not convinced you were able to heal Hayate," Tsunade said with a frown as she shook her head slightly. "I do realize this technique is hard for a genin to master, but you were able to do it before Sakura. Continue practicing and then go back to your hotel to rest. It's almost getting dark anyway…"

Sakura panted lightly as she watched Tsunade walk away. The two had been practicing this technique for a little over a week and she had still not successfully used it. The thought irritated her, but Tsunade's comment had bothered her more.

"I am still not convinced you were able to heal Hayate." There was something about Tsunade's tone when she said that; it reminded her of how team seven used to treat her. Of course she hadn't seen her team in over two weeks, but she assumed they would still treat her as such. The doubt in her ability; it made Sakura want to prove everyone wrong even more. So many people doubted her, and Sakura could understand why, but she really was trying. The only two that seemed to believe in her were Genma and Hayate; she promised herself that she wouldn't let those two down.

Finding a spot in the field, Sakura sat down and closed her eyes. Maybe if she could go back to the place where she had been when she had healed Hayate she could obtain the ability to use the jutsu once again. She knew it had taken a lot out of her to heal Hayate, but she didn't care. Concentrating, Sakura remembered everything that had happened on that day.

That day was two days after the draw between herself and Ino; it was the day when she knew she had wanted to be stronger. She had been studying medical ninjutsu for two straight days, and then the attack on Hayate happened. The only thing she really understood was that she had felt a lot of emotion when healing Hayate; the idea that someone had betrayed them and her village pissed her off greatly. And even though she had not known Hayate very well, Sakura knew she couldn't have stood back and done nothing while he died. Maybe it was the emotion of losing someone that scared her into doing the jutsu.

Sakura had always been emotional; at least that was what Kakashi had told her. Emotions were something that a shinobi should control and hide; it was something that a good ninja wasn't supposed to show. But Sakura didn't believe that; she thought that emotions helped a ninja become stronger. If she loved someone, she would use more strength to protect them.

So maybe her emotions were the trigger of the jutsu? She could try to use that as an advantage, but she didn't really know where to start. She could try to call up that emotion again, but she couldn't really fake feeling emotion; she thought she would give it a try anyways.

Standing, Sakura thought back to her team; Sakura thought that thinking about one of them being hurt would bring up enough emotion to fully use the jutsu. Thinking about a particular nasty wound Naruto had gotten in the forest of death, Sakura started to make hand signs. The emerald in her hands flared with life, but then quickly dulled down. Opening her eyes, Sakura sighed as she dismissed the chakra.

At first the chakra that had been coursing through her had felt much like it had that night she had healed Hayate, but then something happened, and the fierceness of her chakra diminished. Sakura knew she had been concentrating, and she had tried hard. Closing her eyes, the girl sighed before slumping her shoulders.

Did the jutsu fail because she didn't have enough chakra, or because she really didn't have that strong of feelings for her teammate Naruto? Freezing on that thought immediately, Sakura's eyes widened slightly. Did she really not care for Naruto as much as she used to? Well of course, Sakura used to hate Naruto, but then he had gained respect from her, and she had considered him a friend. Sakura sighed before she decided to call it quits for today; the sun had already set, and Sakura knew she didn't want to have to think about her old team any more. Walking off of the field, Sakura stopped before hearing a slight rustle in one of the trees.

Raising an eyebrow, Sakura quickly dove to her right when she heard a kunai racing towards her. Turning around, Sakura's eyes widened at the person that had thrown said kunai. "Long time no see Sakura-Chan," Kabuto said with a smirk on his face.

XxxX

Hayate sighed as he sat beside Genma. The two were currently sitting at the bar, drinking from sake cups. "I wonder how Sakura's training is going," Genma mused as he downed another glass of sake. The brunette was on his second bottle of sake, and Hayate had started to notice the alcohol having minor effects on his friend.

"I'm sure Tsunande-sama is trying her best with Sakura," Hayate sighed as he dragged a hand through his hair. Hayate was trying to pretend that Sakura getting trained from someone else didn't bother him, but he was slowly failing at that. He didn't know what it was, but it made him slightly protective. Hayate knew Tsunade would teach Sakura things he himself never could; he really didn't know what to say about the jealously he felt.

"Mou," Genma said with a quirk of his eyebrow. "Is someone jealous Tsunade is spending time with dear Sakura-Chan?"

"No," Hayate spoke out defensively, though he wasn't entirely sure why. Hayate knew he owed Sakura a lot for saving him, and he was beginning to think that training her wasn't going to be enough. Sighing, Hayate frowned before looking back to his brown haired companion. "I guess I'm worried she'll want Tsunade to train her more than she wants me to."

"With the rate she's going right now, she's not even going to start training with me," a blonde said as she sat down next to Hayate. Hayate raised his eyebrow slightly, before looking to the blonde.

"Why, what's going on?" Hayate asked with curiosity; of course he wanted to know how Sakura's training was going.

"She can't seem to find the inspiration she had when she healed you," Tsunade said as she ordered a round of sake; Genma grinned at the blonde.

"Hayate seemed to inspire Sakura enough," Genma stated as he smirked towards his friend. "Maybe he should be there when the two of you train."

"Whatever would work," Tsunade said with a grunt as she downed a glass of sake. "I know this girl has some serious raw talent, I just wish she would be more determined."

"Sakura's actually more determined than you think," Hayate said with a slight frown. "She was the weakest member of her genin team; the only thing she asked me in return for saving my life was to make her stronger. Her teammates were the kyuubi and the youngest Uchiha; Kakashi was supposed to be her sensei."

"Load of good he did her," Genma snorted while downing another cup of sake.

"Can't help but agree," Tsunade said with a bitter looking grin. "Of course, I wouldn't know anything about being seen as the weakest one on the team either."

"Aa," Hayate commented while he looked to the blonde. "You and Sakura have more in common than you realize. Of course, don't ask me how, but Sakura has been training on her own lately, and has been working on mastering your chakra enhanced strength. She's nowhere near your level, but she's not bad for a genin."

"That pink haired girl is full of surprises," Tsunade mused while looking outside of the bar. Noticing the sun had gone down a few minutes ago, the woman sighed before standing. "If she's anything like I am, then she should still be trying to master the jutsu I showed her. I think I'll go see how she's doing. Anyone want to join me?"

"Yeah," Hayate nodded quickly before standing. He looked to Genma who had a very happy grin on his face and sighed. "Will you be able to get back to the hotel alright?"

"I'll have Shizune come and get him after we check on Sakura," Tsunade said with a wave of her hand. "She'll make sure he's alright."

"I bet he'll love that," Hayate commented with a smirk as he and Tsunade left the bar together. Walking down the street together, Tsunade and Hayate froze when they heard a large earth shattering sound. The earth below their feet rumbled instantly after the noise; Tsunade frowned before increasing her pace.

"I believe that was the chakra enhanced strength you were talking about," Tsunade said while rounding a corner. "The thing is Sakura didn't have much chakra left when I left her. I know she's not stupid enough to try using that much chakra after she had been too drained already."

"Do you feel that chakra signature near her's?" Hayate frowned as he sent chakra into his legs, and started sprinting towards the training field. Hayate knew he had felt this kind of chakra before, and he growled just thinking about it. "Kabuto."

Tsunade didn't say anything, but she also increased her speed; she and Hayate arrived at the field at the same time. Hayate sprinted forward at the sight that stood before him.

Sakura was holding her ribcage tightly with one hand, while the other was glowing a slight blue color, and was raised in front of her. She was kneeling on one leg, while glaring ahead of her. It was obvious Sakura had broken a few ribs and Hayate glared at the silver haired man that stood across the field from Sakura. He did take in a bit of satisfaction when he realized the left side of Kabuto's face was slightly bruised; at least Sakura had gotten in one good hit.

"Hay-ate," Sakura's voice came out in light pants as she dropped to both knees. How long had she been trying to defend herself against this shinobi? Too long, if Hayate and Tsunade had been any later, Sakura was sure she would have probably ended up dead much like Kabuto wanted. And she didn't even understand why he had attacked her now; the Hokage was already informed of their intentions. Sound and Suna were probably still holding a grudge against her and Hayate, however. Maybe that was why they wanted her dead?

"Ah," Kabuto said with a slight grin. "At least I won't have to go looking for you; you two can die together at least."

"I will not allow that," Hayate said as he leveled his brown eyes at the enemy nin before him. Grabbing the sword that waited patiently on his belt, Hayate smirked as he unsheathed it; it had been too long since he had last used his beloved weapon.

"Nor will I," Tsunade said while stepping up beside Sakura. Tsunade's hands were glowing green, and she kneeled down next to Sakura. Sakura sighed as the pain in her ribs began to diminish; the stiffness would still remain for a while though.

"I wouldn't want you to interfere," Kabuto said while smirking at the older woman. Tsunade's eyes widened at this statement and in a blink of an eye, Kabuto had launched several kunai toward both Tsunade and Sakura. Tsunade easily dodged them, but Sakura wasn't so lucky. One kunai struck Sakura's forehead leaving a gash wound. It was a small wound, but began bleeding profusely, as most head wounds tended to do. The thing that seemed to keep Tsunade frozen was the fact that some of Sakura's blood had splattered on Tsunade's own face. "And being that I am Orochimaru-sama's student, he informed me of your little problem."

Sakura didn't know what Kabuto had been talking about until she saw the blonde kneeling a few feet away from herself. Tsunade was shaking, and she was staring wide-eyed at Sakura. Sakura tried to stand up and walk to her new sensei, but was stopped as Tsunade quickly shook her head. "Stay away…"

Hayate glared towards the silver haired nin as the man started chuckling. "What a pathetic fear to have, especially when you are supposed to be the best medical ninja in the world," Kabuto shook his head before looking to the brunette before him. Grinning, Kabuto did a few hand signs before his hands began glowing blue.

Gritting his teeth, Hayate slashed towards Kabuto. The man before him had betrayed the people of Konoha's trust; had betrayed his own trust. Kabuto was an evil individual that he needed to eradicate the world of. Thrusting his sword forward, Hayate quickly dodged the swipe Kabuto tried to attack him with. Hayate knew that whatever jutsu Kabuto was using probably wasn't a good one.

Dipping low, Hayate parried Kabuto's glowing hands with his sword before ramming his fist into Kabuto's gut. The medic nin smirked before leaping backwards. Racing forward, Hayate followed the silver haired man step for step; of course Kabuto was incredibly intelligent, and probably had a scheme up his sleeve. Hayate wanted to stop the battle before it came down to that; he needed to finish this now.

Slashing sword upward, and then to the right, Hayate smirked as he watched a few strands of the elusive man's hair fly away with the wind. Slamming his sword forward, Hayate seemed actually surprised that it connected easily with the male before him. He was even more surprised when Kabuto grabbed the hilt of the sword and jammed it into himself even further.

Hayate and Kabuto were only a few inches away from each other now, and that's when Hayate noticed Kabuto's smirk. Before he could even try to get away, Hayate's eyes widened as Kabuto's hand struck his chest. The glowing blue chakra had not faded from the sound nin's hand, and Hayate staggered backward before coughing out a bit of blood. Dropping his sword, Hayate felt like his chest was falling apart from the inside out. Hayate had heard of the jutsu before, but had never seen it used; a chakra blade.

Falling towards the ground, Hayate glared upward as he watched Kabuto's eyes fill with satisfaction. Stepping forward, the silver haired man pulled the sword from his stomach; Hayate's eyes were blurry as he watched the wound he had inflicted heal easily. Grabbing Hayate's sword, Kabuto smirked as he looked to the weapon. "Dying by your own sword," the man grinned. "How fitting."

Stepping forward, Kabuto sliced the sword downward towards Hayate. Kabuto stopped the sword's descent however, when several senbon needles flew towards him; to prevent himself from being hit, Kabuto dropped the sword and quickly dashed backward. Kabuto furrowed his eyebrows before looking to the one who had interrupted him.

"No one's dying today," Genma grunted as he took a step beside Sakura. There was a slight sway as Genma tried to walk forward, but that didn't stop the nin from grabbing a few more senbon. "I may be slightly intoxicated, but I still have the best aim as a jounin. I'd like you to let me test it out on you."

Kabuto glared but took a few more steps backward. Looking down to the brunette that lay on the ground, Kabuto smirked before turning. "At least half of my mission is complete. I'm sure Orochimaru-sama will be thankful for that."

And with that said, Kabuto disappeared. Glaring forward, Genma tried to access the situation with his muddled mind. "What happened?"

"That's not important," Sakura said as she quickly stood. Looking to the blonde, Sakura knew Tsunade wouldn't be any help in this situation. If Tsunade had a fear of blood like Kabuto had implied, then she wouldn't be able to even go near Hayate. The man had been puking out blood since Kabuto had hit him with his chakra infused hand. Racing toward her teacher, Sakura frowned when she saw he had lost consciousness.

"I need to do this," Sakura told herself as she closed her eyes with determination. She didn't know the extent of the wound, which was probably very bad, and she didn't have a lot of chakra left; actually she was running almost on empty. Gritting her teeth, Sakura's hands quickly made the hand signs she had been practicing for almost a week straight. "I have to do this."

Quickly, Sakura's hands glowed a startling emerald; the green light engulfed the entire training area. Placing her hands on Hayate's chest, Sakura felt like her whole life force was being drained again.

Even though the feeling of her chakra being drained was not a good one, Sakura still had to smile. This was what she had felt when she had first been able to heal Hayate; maybe this meant she was finally doing the jutsu in the correct manner.

Sighing slightly, Sakura opened her eyes as she felt a presence kneel on the other side of Hayate. "Sakura," Genma spoke while trying to will the alcohol from his system. "What do you need?"

"Find Shizune," Sakura said as she sucked in a large breath of air. "I can't go on healing like this for long, but I don't think Tsunade-sama will be able to either."

"Alright," Genma nodded before he quickly started sprinting off.

Sakura felt her vision blur slightly, but shook it off. Pushing as much chakra as she could into her hands, Sakura felt like whatever she was doing was helping. Of course she couldn't see the wound; Kabuto's hit had been internal, not external. But Sakura felt like she was helping; it was almost like she could see Hayate's heart mending. She just hoped Genma hurried, and Hayate held on a little while longer. She wasn't sure if she could hold out any longer.


	9. Chapter 9

Woot Woot! The story is getting back on track, and with all the wonderful reviews I got, I'm starting to gain confidence again in this story! I hope you all enjoy it; it makes me happy when you all do.

Sorry it's not as long as the previous chapter; I hoping it will lead well up into the next one.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**Edited 7/4/12**

* * *

Hayate groaned as his consciousness invaded him, but he didn't feel pain like he had expected to. Opening his brown eyes, Hayate glanced around the field before his eyes landed on the pink person that lay still on his hard chest.

Immediately, Hayate began to think of the worst, and his eyes grew wide at what he had remembered: he had passed out when Kabuto was still in the field, and part of Kabuto's mission had been to kill Sakura as well as himself. Grunting slightly, Hayate moved one of his arms to check the female on top of him. Idly, he wondered how many times he was going to wake up with Sakura on his chest; not that he really minded. The girl was small, and wasn't heavy at all. If anything, he could say the girl's presence was comforting almost. Sakura had a soothing way about her.

Moving his arm so he could feel if she had a pulse, Hayate sighed in relief once he felt a strong heart beat; thank Kami. Slowly, Hayate began to stand up and gently moved Sakura off of his person. Looking down to the pinkette, Hayate couldn't prevent the look of frustration from forming on his face. It was obvious to him that she had been able to heal him again; she was once again the only reason he was currently alive. Which was weird in a sense, because Hayate knew Tsunade was a great medic; had Tsunade allowed Sakura to heal him, or did something else happen before she was able to do so?

Either way, he had failed his mission to protect her; he would have to send a report to the Hokage about what had happened.

Looking around the field, Hayate noticed that Tsunade was still in the same spot she had been before he had passed out. The idea of this was weird, but Hayate walked closer to get a better look. "Tsunade-sama?"

"I couldn't do it…" Hayate heard Tsunade mutter while he got closer; it was like the blonde was ignoring Hayate's presence completely. She seemed shell shocked; what had Kabuto done to make her this way? "I couldn't do it again."

"Tsunade-sama?" Hayate questioned as kneeled down in front of the blonde. He didn't know what had happened after he had lost consciousness; had she been placed under a genjutsu? Reaching over to the blonde, his hands rested on her shoulders, and he gave her a good shake. That seemed to knock some sense into the Sannin. Tsunade's almond eyes blinked twice before she fully registered that Hayate was before her.

"You were attacked," Tsunade said with disbelief in her tone. "And I thought you were going to die… The wound Kabuto gave you should have killed you almost instantly."

"I probably was almost dead," Hayate nodded as he looked back to his pink haired student; she really was something special. How many genin could heal an internally bleeding wound? "I think Sakura was able to save me again."

Tsunade's eyes glowed in realization as she stood up on her own two feet. Walking over to Hayate, she closed her eyes before doing a few hand signs; her hands immediately started to glow emerald and she put them against his chest.

"I assume this is where Kabuto hit you," Tsunade said it as if it wasn't even a question. It was obvious she knew about Kabuto, and knew where he would most likely hit to kill. Opening her eyes again, Tsunade raised an eyebrow before looking to Hayate. "I don't remember when you were attacked; I was a little lost, and I didn't see Kabuto's hit. It's like I cannot even tell that you were attacked; it seemed Sakura healed everything."

Hayate had to smile and nodded his head; Sakura never ceased to amaze him. "This is what happened the night in Konoha," Hayate said quietly while looking back to Sakura. "She was able to heal the wound as well as an illness I have been stuck with since I was a child."

Tsunade's eyes widened slightly and she started to walk over to where the pink haired girl lay. After the training Tsunade had put Sakura through that day, she knew Sakura shouldn't have had enough chakra to heal Hayate as much as she did. The pink haired genin had perfect chakra control, but even Tsunade herself couldn't have healed someone with that major of a wound when she had such little chakra.

As she kneeled beside Sakura, Tsunade's hands began glowing an emerald green again. "I want to make sure she's okay," Tsunade said; it was obvious the Sannin was talking to herself, again. It was also obvious that the blonde was concerned for the girl; Hayate knew his concern probably outweighed Tsunade's own however. Sakura was his student; he was responsible for anything that happened to her. But once again, he had failed to protect her, and she herself had done the protecting, and the saving.

It really amazed him that Sakura hadn't done much with her genin team; Sakura had said she had not been as committed to becoming a ninja as she was now. Hayate could surely tell the difference between the pink haired girl now, and when he had first met her.

Hearing a noise coming from behind him, Hayate quickly stood in a defensive position; if this was Kabuto that was coming back, Hayate would protect Sakura this time, he owed her that much at least. Turning to where the noise was coming from he was greeted with the sight of a worried looking Shizune and a still slightly intoxicated Genma. Letting his guard drop, Hayate watched Genma's eyes sparkle as they fell upon him.

"You're alright!" The man practically yelled with glee. Hayate rolled his eyes at the other man, but then raised a questioning eyebrow.

"How did you and Shizune get here?" Hayate asked while he sat next to Sakura. His eyes looked to the pink haired girl as he waited for his friend to answer.

"I came after Kabuto attacked you," Genma said with a frown. "I was worried about you, but after I scared Kabuto away with my awesome ninja skills, Sakura told me I needed to go get Shizune. Sakura wasn't sure if she would have enough chakra left to heal you, and something was wrong with Tsunade-sama… I tried to get Shizune as quickly as possible, but it seems like it didn't matter. Sakura healed you completely again, didn't she?"

"Not without exhausting her chakra network," Tsunade said with a tsk. Her hands were still a brilliant emerald as they scanned over Sakura's body. "I'm almost positive this is how she was able to heal you before, Hayate. She is almost at absolutely empty; if her chakra was any lower, I'm sure she would have died."

The news hit Hayate hard, and he felt immediately responsible for Sakura's condition, both now, and before. If he would have been any more hurt, or if Sakura would have exhausted any more chakra then there would be a good chance that she would be dead. Her death was the very thing he was trying to prevent when he had tried to protect her from Kabuto.

If she would have died, Hayate himself would have very much felt like dying after her. This had been her second time she had used her everything to heal him, and he was eternally grateful. Hayate knew there was probably nothing he could do to repay her; he was indebted to her for life.

"It seems she was finally given the push she needed to complete the jutsu," Shizune said while kneeling beside her mentor. Shizune's hands were glowing emerald while she healed the gash wound that was on Sakura's forehead. Tsunade had not been the only one trying to teach Sakura the mystic palm jutsu; Shizune had been a big help in Sakura's training.

"It seems so," Tsunade commented with a small bit of amusement. "All she needed was her mentor almost dying in front of her. So we will be heading to Konoha after all; I was almost sure I wouldn't have to. When are the Chuunin exam finals, again?"

Hayate was still too lost in his guilt to answer, so Genma did it for him. "Five days exactly," Genma said with a slight grin. "We need a few days to travel, so we only have about two or three more days here left to train."

"Aa," Tsunade said with a nod as she began retracting her chakra. "After getting a good night's rest tonight, Sakura should wake up feeling refreshed tomorrow; I placed some of my chakra into her chakra reserves. What are you two planning to train Sakura on while you're here?"

Hayate seemed to snap out of his stupor enough to answer the Sannin's question. "I was going to teach Sakura some elemental water jutsu. Her opponent for the finals can wield sand, so I'm assuming he'll be weak against water types. I also wanted to work on her increasing her speed; she's still not as fast as I wanted her to be at this point in her training."

"That is a good assumption," Tsunade mused as she stood. Looking down to the pink haired girl, Tsunade shook her head lightly before smiling. "She reminds me of me when I was younger."

"Hopefully that means she'll be as strong as you are one day," Hayate said as he picked up Sakura bridal style. The pink haired girl's head leaned softly against Hayate's chest, and for some reason it made his heart beat a little faster. "I know her goal is to become as strong as she can; I hope you're ready to help her in succeeding in that goal, Tsunade-sama."

"I don't want to step on your toes, but is it alright if I help her learn to dodge a bit better?" Tsunade asked as she looked to the girl in Hayate arms. "I know a way that will get the best results in the quickest time possible, and I'm assuming she is going to need help working on that too. After healing her, I'm more than certain Kabuto was able to get a few hits on her."

Hayate seemed to think for a few minutes before nodding his consent. "Sakura should get all the help she can get before the finals; I worried that when Orochimaru hears that Sakura is still alive, he will have Gaara try to kill her during the exams."

"That's a bit brash," Tsunade said with a frown. "But I wouldn't put it past Orochimaru; he has always been one for revenge."

Sighing Hayate nodded before he started to walk back towards the hotel while he cradle Sakura softly to his chest. "We'll start her training early tomorrow morning; as soon as she wakes up."

XxxX

Sakura groaned as her emerald eyes flickered open; how long had she been out? Of course she remembered everything that had happened, and everything that was involved with the fight against Kabuto. She was not concerned for her mentor's safety; she was confident that Hayate was alright. She had used everything she had to heal Hayate, and Sakura knew that whatever she had given had been enough.

Sitting up, Sakura realized she was back in her hotel room; looking out towards the window, Sakura sighed as she noticed the sun rising. She didn't know how long she had slept, but she was sure she was going to need more training to be ready to face Gaara in the exams. Sakura hoped that these next few days left before the exams would include lots and lots of training; Kami knew Sakura needed it.

She had grown in strength, Sakura had known this, but she needed to grow even more if she wanted to be considered a good ninja. But that wasn't even the reason she had wanted to increase her strength; she wanted to become stronger so she would be able to protect her most important people. But after everything that had happened, Sakura wasn't completely sure who her most important people were.

She knew she cared for both Genma and Hayate, and slowly a friendship and mentorship was building with Shizune and Tsunade. Team Seven was still a big, fat question mark though… Of course, if Sasuke and Naruto were in need of help, she would save them, but she wasn't so sure about her sensei Kakashi. The man had never shown interest in her…

Sighing, Sakura looked to the other side of the room, and that's when she noticed the tuft of brown hair laying beside her on the bed. Sakura couldn't prevent her smile at the sight of it; had Hayate slept on the chair for as long as she had been unconscious? Now this man before her, he had showed interest and even trust in her; she was beginning to trust him more and more. In her opinion, though, the chair he was laying on didn't look comfortable at all; she hoped that Hayate hadn't been sleeping on it for very long.

"Hayate?" Sakura really didn't want to wake him if he was asleep, but the position he was in couldn't be a comfortable one. She thought he would rest better if he was in a different position all together.

"Hmmm?" Hayate asked as his body stayed in the same position as it had been. His head was resting on both of his arms, and both arms were resting on top of Sakura's bed. His handsome face was hidden beneath his arms, but Sakura was almost positive his eyes were closed.

"How long have you been lying like that?" She questioned with a small smile.

"A few hours," Hayate mumbled out sleepily as he opened his chocolate brown eyes to look into her emerald. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Thanks," Sakura smiled as she proceeded in her task of sitting all the way up on the bed; it was harder than one would expect. Sakura assumed that was because of her stiff ribs, though they did not hurt, they still made it a bit harder to move around. "Are we going to be training today?"

"You will be training," Hayate mused; the emphasis on the word "you" worried Sakura a small bit. "Tsunade-sama said I should rest today after what happened… you know you healed me again, right?"

Sakura smiled and nodded. "Of course I know that; the only reason I allowed myself to pass out in the first place was because I knew you were going to be okay. I would have kept on healing you if I had to, but-"

Sakura was stunned into silence when she felt two strong arms wrap around her. Looking up, Sakura was looking eye to chest; it was Hayate's chest she was looking at. "Thank you," he softly said while running a hand through the back of Sakura's pink locks. The embrace was very warm, and welcome for Sakura. This man was beginning to mean more and more to the pink haired girl.

He held her for a little while longer before pulling away. His soft eyes now had a hard edge to them. "But if you ever put my life before yours again, I will never forgive you, do you understand?"

"Um… Hai sensei," Sakura's soft reply was cut off as Tsunade suddenly entered the room. The blonde's appearance had cut the tense atmosphere that had just begun a moment earlier. "Hello, Tsunade-sama."

"Good morning Sakura," the blonde spoke with an easy smile. "You need to get dressed so we can start your training."

"Of course," Sakura said with a nod as she stood from her bed; stretching her back slightly, Sakura sighed before finding her bag of clothes. She was actually relieved to have Tsunade there; she didn't like to be reprimanded by Hayate… it's not like it would stop her from healing him again anyway. "What kind of things will we be training today, Tsunade-sama?"

"Speed, endurance, and dodging skills," Tsunade said with a maniac like sparkle in her eye; the sparkle worried both Sakura and Hayate.

"Oh, well, I guess I will be needing all of those," Sakura said with a tentative nod as she began walking towards the bathroom. "How many more days do I have until the exams?"

"You have exactly four days, Sakura," Tsunade said with a smirk. "And myself, Hayate, Genma, and Shizune will train you for every minute up until then."

Something about the way Tsunade had said that made Sakura gulp back a little in fear. Was she really ready for this kind of training?

XxxX

Sakura knew immediately that she was not ready, as she dodged another boulder that was sent her way. It seemed like the Sannin never ran out of energy, because Sakura had been trying to dodge punches, boulders, and even trees that had been flung her way for the past three hours. Did the blonde ever tire out… Sakura was beginning not to think so.

Rolling to the left, Sakura quickly made a replacement of herself before trying to find a tree to hide behind. It was harder than expected because most of the trees in the area had all been uprooted using Tsunade's strength.

"Come out come out where ever you are," Tsunade taunted as Sakura tried to calm her breathing. Really, the pinkette hadn't even had a nutritious breakfast before being whisked off to train. Surely, Naruto would have been proud of her for her choice in ramen, but Sakura was sure that in itself probably wasn't a good thing.

Sensing Tsunade's chakra behind the tree Sakura was using to hide, Sakura quickly leaped away before Tsunade's fist could connect with her back. It really was amazing that the woman's fist could go through the tree that quickly.

Dodging to the left, Sakura felt some splinters impact with her body as she dodged another punch that was sent her way. Biting her teeth in frustration, Sakura pulled out the biggest pieces of wood before continuing.

Racing forward, Sakura found herself on the opposite end of the field as Tsunade. The pink haired girl was slightly ruffled, and was panting, while the blonde didn't even seem to be fazed.

"Sakura," Tsunade's voice called across the field. "I am going to teach you this once, so remember these words: you can't always dodge something, sometimes you just have to come back with something just as strong, or even stronger to oppose it."

Sakura's eyes glimmered slightly in recognition, and her stance began to change. Thoughts raced through Sakura's mind, but there was only one at the forefront: if dodging doesn't work, maybe attacking back would.

Bringing her hands together, Sakura tried to collect as much chakra as she was able. Concentrating that chakra into her fists, Sakura's hands quickly turned a similar blue to Tsunade's.

"Interesting," Sakura heard the blonde mutter, but she didn't let Tsunade's words distract her. Sakura seriously needed to concentrate if she wanted to even get a good shot in on the Sannin. Running towards the blonde, Sakura raised a fist and gritted her teeth with anticipation.

Before she could even bring her fist forward, Tsunade's fist had already connected with her gut, sending her flying backwards into a tree.

"Nice try kid," Tsunade said with a chuckle. "But you're dealing with the person that invented that jutsu. Try again."

This was going to be a long day…


	10. Chapter 10

A Chance Encounter 10

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, alerted, or favorited this story! Every little bit inspires me to keep writing. : ) Sorry it's not as long as the last one! I promise the next chapter will be longer!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

I've noticed, after going back over a few chapters that I have been leaving out a bit of humor. I don't want everything to be completely serious, so I added back some humor into this chapter, and I hope you all appreciate it. Sorry it took so long for me to update! I was really stuck on where to continue with this chapter.

**Edited 7/4/12**

* * *

When Sakura came at Tsunade the next time around, Tsunade was even more amused. Genin usually weren't taught to use elemental chakra yet; Sakura decided it was the right time to use her earth staff she had been trying to train with.

This earth staff was modified, however, and at the end stood a sharp point; the staff could almost have been a spear in all actuality. Sakura had learned that if she used the right amount of chakra, she could modify the staff to be more of her liking, and also, if she was able to keep her chakra running through the staff, she could easily make the staff harden when the time called for it.

As Sakura swung the staff towards the blonde, she used her chakra to add more weight, and the staff swung faster than Tsunade had anticipated. Of course Tsunade didn't get hit, but she did start to take Sakura a little more seriously because of it.

"Who taught you element jutsu at such a young age?" Tsunade asked while dodging another swing from Sakura's staff.

Sakura smiled before dodging a blow from one of Tsunade's fists; the more Sakura seemed to fight the woman, the more she started to understand how the Sannin fought. "Hayate and Genma have been working on earth and water based jutsu with me."

"Hmm, interesting," Tsunade commented while she smirked. And then, Sakura's eyes widened as Tsunade's fist broke through her staff, and nailed her in the stomach.

Flying back a few feet, Sakura instantly grabbed her stomach as her hands glowed emerald green. If she was going to take hits like that, which she assumed she would, then she would need to be able to heal herself as fast as she could.

She remembered Gaara's fight against Lee… Lee had been so fast, but that didn't seem to matter. Gaara's sand had always been faster, and Sakura needed to think of ideas and strategies to use while fighting against him, because Sakura really didn't want to die.

Sakura was more nervous for the exams than she was excited. Sound and Sand both had something against her; she and Hayate were the ones that had told the Hokage about their invasion plans. If anything went wrong it would ultimately be because of the two of them. But if that helped Konoha in any way, Sakura wouldn't complain.

Standing from her crouched position across from Tsunade, Sakura felt the feeling of fear quiver through her. How long had she been attempting to get stronger; a few weeks? Was it enough to be anywhere near good enough to defeat Gaara? Sighing slightly, Sakura brought chakra back into her fists as she eyed the blonde a few yards across from her.

Sakura really did appreciate everything everyone was doing in trying to make her stronger, she just didn't know if it would help this time around. Sakura had tried to set a goal at the start of her training with Hayate and Genma: she had wanted to take a year to become as strong as she possibly could, and learn as much as she could. It had only been three weeks, and Sakura was concerned if that had been enough time.

Across from Sakura, Tsunade saw a few emotions flicker across Sakura's face before the blonde allowed the chakra to disappear from her hands. Before she could stop herself, Tsunade stepped toward the girl with a comforting smile. "What's on your mind?"

It took Sakura a few seconds to think about it before she spoke. "I guess I'm just a little nervous," she said with a slight shrug. "I don't want to let anyone down at the Chuunin exams."

Well, Sakura thought that was a half-truth. She didn't want people to worry about her, though. If she told Tsunade everything that was wrong with her that in turn would make the Sannin worry. Sakura watched as the blonde smiled before nodding.

"You won't let any of us down," she said as she pulled on a fierce smirk. "Now let me teach you something cool."

XxxX

Taking a deep breath, Sakura walked into the arena. She was nervous, that was for sure. Really, she had been surprised she hadn't been attacked right off the bat on entering Konoha. Sighing slightly, Sakura looked around the arena and noticed that it was jam packed with people. It looked like the seats were going to be filled, and the matches wouldn't start for another half an hour.

Glancing around to her competitors, Sakura rolled her eyes when she saw neither of her teammates standing there. The two were obviously hanging out with Kakashi too much, because Naruto and Sasuke had no idea what the word punctual meant. Not that it really bothered her; she hadn't really gotten a chance to talk to Sasuke after the whole weird seal incident. She also hadn't seen Naruto for at least two weeks.

Sighing, Sakura wondered if she was really ready. Genma, Hayate, and Tsunade had done their best training her, but that didn't really make her feel any better as she caught Gaara's gaze. The red head seemed unemotional, but Sakura could see the underlying tone of hatred in his stare. Didn't that guy like anything other than himself?

Shaking her head slightly, Sakura found a place to stand beside Shikamaru. Smiling slightly towards him, Sakura only got a lazy nod of his head in return, not that she really could blame him. Ino would probably kill him if she saw him talking to her.

Thinking back to how the matches were supposed to go, Sakura knew the order in which they would be held. Naruto's match with Neji was first, and then it was supposed to be Shikamaru's match against Temari. After that it was supposed to be Kankuro and Shino's match, and then finally, Sakura's own match against Gaara. Smiling slightly, Sakura was actually proud of her genin class; they really had a lot of people that were trying to become Chuunin.

At this thought, Sakura watched as the proctor came before them with a smirk. Genma had told her that he was supposed to be their proctor, but had turned down the position because of his 'friendship' with her. Sakura knew he had turned down the position because he was probably just too lazy to do it.

Looking a little uncertain, Sakura watched as the purple haired female proctor from the second part of the exams appeared before them. Her name was Anko, if Sakura remembered her name correctly.

"Hey maggots," the purple haired nin greeted with a smirk. "It's nice to see that the forest of death didn't kill everyone. It looks like we're missing a few though. Too scared to come?"

As the questioned was posed, Sakura could already feel one of her old teammates (were they still her team, or no?) outside of the arena. Naruto's chakra had never been very stable; after the training she had undergone with Tsunade, Sakura could easily recognize that now.

Before the door even broke open, Sakura had cringed. Tact was definitely not Naruto's strong suite; it was a blessing, Sakura was sure of it. But even as those thoughts raced through her, Sakura watched as her orange clad friend came bursting through the doors.

The arena was unbelievably quiet as Naruto fell flat on his face before standing. Dusting himself off, Naruto looked up with a slight blush before he noticed Sakura standing there.

"Hey Sakura-Chan!" Naruto yelled with a large wave as he walked towards the group. Sakura shook her head before letting a small snort escape her; there really was only one Naruto in the world.

The blonde appeared as a blur by her side, and Sakura gave him a small smile for his trouble. Naruto, finally noticing that people were staring at him (a LOT of people) had the decency to try and whisper to Sakura. His attempt failed, but Sakura appreciated the effort. "Hi Sakura," Naruto said while blinking slightly at her. Sakura was wearing her new attire, and at least Naruto was smart enough to notice her clothing was different. "Did you get a haircut, or something?"

She really put too much faith in Naruto, she thought as she shook her head. Maybe hanging out with Hayate and Genma were making her mature faster than she was really supposed to, not that she minded.

"Now that we have almost everyone here," Anko said with a glare sent in Naruto's direction. "I believe we should explain a few things. After the matches were set up from the last part of the exams we had a few changes. Dosu from the sound village was found dead several weeks ago.

"Because the Kage's wanted to keep the same amount of fighters in the competition, we went to the only match that ended in a draw. As many of you are aware, the two kunochi of this match were given a rematch, and Sakura Haruno was the victor of said match."

"Because of this we had to redraw the names of each opponent and try to make the matches fair. It turns out the only difference is that Gaara no Sabaku will now be battling Sakura Haruno. Sasuke Uchiha will be fighting the winner of that match."

"If we ever get to that," Sakura whispered quietly under her breath. She knew that Naruto didn't hear her, but she did catch the attention of the Nara genius on the other side of her. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her, but Sakura just shook her head. "I'll tell you later."

"Because one of the contestants is not here, I will have to talk to the Kage's before we continue," Anko said before disappearing in a puff of smoke. But that did nothing to help her nerves. Kami did she hate being last; Sakura always had a problem with being last. Maybe it was an inferiority complex that was brought on by her team…

She glared slightly at the blonde next to her before her thoughts were brought elsewhere. Raising an eyebrow, Sakura's eyes followed a bright pink streamer that was in the crowd. She allowed herself to smile as she saw the person holding said streamer: Genma. She was glad it wasn't Hayate; if it had been, she would have worried for his health.

But she saw her sensei seated near the loud cheering Genma; both looked like they were having fun to the untrained eye, but Sakura could tell they were uncomfortable. But so was she. She knew the invasion, or the attack, or whatever Oto and Suna had been planning to do, was going to happen during this final part of the exams.

And watching the nervous way Temari had been looking towards Gaara, Sakura knew that it would probably be happening in her match. Before she thought too much on that, Sakura watched Anko poof back before their eyes.

"Because Sasuke Uchiha's match will not occur until the next round, the Kage's are willing to forgive his absence," Anko said with a slight smirk while she eyed up Neji and Naruto. "Let's begin with the first match then."

Sakura could feel the cold glare being drilled into her, probably by Gaara, as she started to walk towards the booth the rest of the genin participating in the exams would be while they waited for their match. Unconsciously, Sakura walked a little closer to Shino and Shikamaru, who were only a few feet in front of her. She gave the two a small, not fully there smile, before turning back to the red head.

Even if she was afraid of him and even if she knew he could probably kill her within a second that gave Sakura even more of a reason to fight. She wasn't ready to die just yet, and she really didn't want to let her two, well now three, new sensei's down.

And she did very much want to stay alive. Looking up to the crowd, Sakura's eyes instantly caught the pink streamer in the air that Genma was waving around frantically. Sakura now completely understood how Hayate could get embarrassed by his best friend every now and then. The streamer was pink with bright silver letters that wrote out "Go Sakura!"

With reddened cheeks, Sakura slowly started to walk up the stairs to the booth. Ignoring the shouts of encouragement that she heard from Genma's direction, she finished her trek up the stairs. Seeing the booth was actually rather spacious, Sakura was actually very thankful for this fact. She didn't want to be any closer to Gaara than she had to be.

Going to the balcony where she could watch Naruto's match, Sakura began to rethink things over and over in her head. Even if Hayate and her had told the Hokage about the attack, did that mean it would be enough information to stop it?

A slight bump against her hip brought her out of her musings as she looked up curiously at Shikamaru. His eye brow was still raised, and Sakura actually smirked at his curiosity. "You want me to explain about earlier?"

"Quietly, yes," Shikamaru grunted before making sure no one else was in hearing range. He didn't mind much when he noticed Shino a few feet away from him; the bug nin was from Konoha after all.

"We're going to be attacked by Oto and Suna," Sakura whispered under her breath as she watched Naruto and Neji's match begin.

"I thought something was up," Shikamaru mused with a slight nod. He seemed less worried about the attack, and more content with the fact that he was right.

"Yes," Sakura said with a slight nod, only feeling a little bad about not keeping her promise to the Hokage. She felt that her fellow shinobi should know about the attack, and she knew she could trust Shikamaru and Shino. "There are more anbu and jounin in regular clothes in the audience."

"Among other things," Shikamaru mused as the two's eyes were watching the battle between Naruto and Neji. Even after seeing Naruto's shadow clone jutsu a thousand times, Sakura was still surprised at the amount of clones he could make, even though they were proving to have no effect on the Hyuga.

"My bugs can sense other than Konoha nin chakra in the crowd as well," Shino spoke quietly as he made his way over to the other side of Sakura.

Sakura watched as Shikamaru smirked, and then shook his head. "No one would ever wonder why we have outside ninja in the crowd; they of course have come to watch the exams. How did you find out about this, Sakura?"

"It's really a long story," Sakura said with a slight shrug. "I'm sure the Hokage will explain it all to you after the exams are over. But until then, I'm going to watch Naruto's match, and wait for my own. But of course, I'm going to try and save as much chakra as I can. You never know what could happen…"

"Aa," Shikamaru said with a slight nod of his head as the group turned to finish watching Naruto's match. Sakura let out a small cheer as Naruto popped out of the ground, and his fist connected with Neji's jaw. She had been ignoring their entire fight to talk with Shino and Shikamaru, and she didn't even feel bad…

Giving him a thumb up while he looked her way, Sakura couldn't help but feel good for the blonde. It was obvious Naruto had wanted to fight Sasuke in the finals; it really was too bad that the exams were never going to get to that point.

Sakura watched as Naruto ran around cheering happily with the crowd as he took in his victory. After Anko announced him the winner, a loud cheer had erupted, but that cheer was soon stopped when a change in the wind could be felt, and leaves began blowing around unnaturally.

And already knowing what was happening, Sakura scowled slightly. Sasuke Uchiha always knew how to rain on Naruto's parade.


	11. Chapter 11

Well hello again : ) fancy meeting you all here.

Soo, I updated again : ) that's twice in one week, and do you want to know why? It's because I have such amazing readers and reviewers. Your need for this fic drives me to write more, I only hope you won't be disappointed.

I mean, in this chapter Sakura starts her match against Gaara… yeah, kinda boring : P Jussst kidding : )! Thanks for all the reviews and alerts and favorites.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**Edited 7/4/12. Hopefully this or the next chapter will be the last one I need to edit. : ) I hope you are all happy with the changes. Most of them are not very extreme; the only chapter that had an extreme change in it was chapter five, and actually this one had quite a bit as well : ) **

**oh, and the slime and snake thing, ha.**

* * *

Sakura thought Sasuke's entrance was a bit melodramatic. He and Kakashi both appeared in the arena within an instant; the only warning she had was the slight blow of the wind, and the flicker in their chakra signatures before they appeared. The two figures stood with their arms crossed looking increasingly indifferent.

As the wind died down from their transportation jutsu, Sakura shivered slightly when she noticed Sasuke's sharingan eyes were staring directly at her. Sasuke whispered something to Kakashi then, and the older male's eye was drawn to her soon after.

The idea that both of them were looking at her made her even more nervous than she already was. She could practically feel the judgment sent from the twin stares. When Kakashi appeared before her, his form leaning on the balcony looked rather aloof, but Sakura knew better, the pinkette almost flinched.

"What are you doing down here, Sakura?" Kakashi said as he tilted his head slightly while asking the question. She didn't really understand; she had seen Kakashi at the arena when she had beaten Ino... what did he mean?

Shaking her head in response, Sakura could only sigh. "If you had come on time Kakashi, I would have explained it to you," Anko called from the arena floor. Sakura's eyes followed her voice, and she noticed that Sasuke and Naruto were talking heatedly while Neji's unmoving body was being carted off by some med-nins. Sakura knew Neji wasn't severely hurt; Naruto would never do that to an opponent unless he had to. Sakura assumed Neji's pride hurt him more than anything else.

After Anko's comment, Kakashi tilted his head to the side, so he could look back at the purple haired woman. The silver haired nin raised an eyebrow in question. "Sakura Haruno is fighting in today's exams. She is taking the place of the sound ninja."

Kakashi nodded and looked back to the pinkette. "I remember you were the one to win the fight against Ino," Kakashi said easily. "But I also thought you would know your own skill level Sakura. If you had any common sense, or any will to live you would have dropped out of the competition and let Sasuke take your place. He's ready to fight Gaara."

Sakura could only stand there frozen in response before Kakashi pulled her closer to him. Sakura wasn't used to being this close to her ex-sensei; he was gripping the front of her shirt tightly and was looking her in the eyes with a weird expression. If Sakura could recognize that look it would be one of pity. "You should drop out now," Kakashi whispered to her. "There's no way you could last a minute against Gaara; believing so would make you insane. I don't want to see one of my students die today."

Kakashi's words seemed to hurt Sakura more than scare her into submission. Of course she had already been nervous about her fight against Gaara (he was a lot stronger than she was), but she too had a few tricks up her sleeve. She wasn't going to quit just because Kami had dealt her the wrong cards.

But Kakashi really didn't help when he said that; he in fact, was playing right into the insecurities Sakura had already felt. Sighing, Sakura gave Kakashi a sad look before walking away from the balcony and most importantly him.

She was finished with team seven's lack of faith in her. She never once questioned the boys' strength, and it wasn't fair for them to question hers… Hayate and Genma never questioned her strength though, they only helped improve it.

Maybe after this invasion stuff was all over, she would ask the Hokage to be put on a team with both Hayate and Genma. It was rather unconventional, she knew. A genin being placed with two jounin, but Sakura hoped that the Hokage would allow it. Hayate and Genma were her teachers anyway, she was supposed to learn from them, and how could she do that if she was stuck on a team with Kakashi?

Smiling slightly at the thought, Sakura ignored Sasuke as he and Naruto both appeared before her. Maybe one day she would be on par with both of these boys in front of her, but to do that, Sakura knew she would have to follow her own path to get there.

Giving Naruto a smile, Sakura told him good job. She was happy that he won, but she wasn't going to do more than that for him. Even if the blonde sought out praise, Sakura knew she shouldn't be the one to give it.

Looking back to the two she knew would be next, Sakura watched as Shikamaru sighed. The brunette shrugged before he looked to the Konoha shinobi that were in the balcony.

"It looks like it's my match then," Temari said as she withdrew her large fan. Opening it, Temari leaped on top of it, and soared down to the arena floor. Sakura looked to the blonde before turning to see Shino and Shikamaru's interaction.

Before she could wish the Nara good luck, Shino's hand was on his shoulder. "Not too much chakra," Shino whispered quietly into Shikamaru's ear. Shino's voice was quiet enough so the sand ninja couldn't hear him, but both Sasuke and Naruto looked at the mysterious nin in question. Sakura really didn't have the patience to tell either male right then, so she just shook her head and walked to the balcony to watch Shikamaru's match.

Besides, she had more important things to worry about. One of the most important ones was the fact that her match was going to be up soon, and Sakura could only pray she was ready for it.

XxxX

Hayate's eyes were set in a glare as he sat in his seat. Genma just had to be annoying today, of all days. The brown haired male was screaming like a banshee and was twirling the streamer in the air like it had a life of its own. Hayate really wanted to tell his friend that Sakura's match wouldn't start for two more matches, but he didn't have the heart to spoil his friend's fun.

Looking to the booth where the examinees stood to wait for their next match, Hayate sighed slightly when he looked to his pink haired student. He was worried, and nervous, and he couldn't understand why Genma was being so cheerful. If something went wrong with Sakura's match would he be able to save her in time?

In the past few weeks the little pink haired girl had grown on him, how couldn't she after having saved his life twice? But it was more than just being thankful for her saving him; he had started too really like her. She was a sweet girl, was quite funny, and could handle both he and Genma almost too well. Hayate was aware that Genma and his antics probably weren't the most normal, or the easiest to deal with, but Sakura seemed to fit in well with him and his life style.

For the first time in a very long time Hayate could actually say that he was happy with where his life was going. He had a great best friend (even though he could be more annoying than helpful at times), and he had a student that he was devoted to.

Sighing slightly, Hayate stopped his thinking when he felt a familiar chakra signature appear a few rows up behind him. Of course he had been witness to Sasuke and Kakashi's little entrance; no wonder Sakura had gotten annoyed with the two shinobi. It was obvious that Kakashi felt like he owed the Uchiha boy, and that in turn made it harder for both Naruto and Sakura.

Standing from his chair, Hayate gave Genma a nod before making his way towards the stairs. If Kakashi wanted to talk to him, Hayate had no problem with telling the copy-nin everything. This included how stupid Hayate felt the copy-nin was for treating his students the way he did.

Walking up the stairs, he met the silver haired ninja's eye and grunted a greeting; he didn't even care that Kakashi looked angry for some reason. He could only imagine why after finding out Sakura really was going to go through with the match. Wait, did that mean Kakashi cared for the pinkette?

"What's going on Hayate?" Kakashi asked as he tipped his head backwards. The meaning was for the two to find a more private place to talk, and Hayate understood that right away. Before Hayate answered Kakashi's question, the two headed into one of the empty halls just outside of the seating area.

Now, Hayate had to think on how to answer Kakashi's question. Was Kakashi questioning what was going on with Sakura, or what was going on in general? Because Hayate really didn't want to talk to him at all, but Kakashi could be a little more direct in his questioning.

"Do you mean with my student, orr-"

"Don't act stupid like Genma, Hayate," Kakashi's tone of voice left no room for disagreement, but Hayate glared at the male anyhow. How dare Kakashi call him Genma-like.

"Well then direct your questions better," Hayate said with a shrug. "Sakura is in the exams because of the sound ninja's unfortunate death. Because of this event, the Hokage asked for Ino and Sakura to have a rematch. Sakura won hands down."

Kakashi's eyebrow rose slightly, but then he sighed. "That wasn't the thing I was asking about; I saw Ino and Sakura's battle; I was here for the announcement from the Hokage. What I want to know is why the hell is she fighting a monster like Gaara? There's no way she'll be able to win."

"I don't think she even wants or expects to win at this point either," Hayate said with a nod. "Sakura is trying to protect her village the best way she knows how."

"Protect her village?" Kakashi's questioning tone was heard almost immediately after Hayate finished his sentence.

"So you were too distracted with Sasuke's training then to attend the jounin meeting," Hayate mused with a nod. "Suna and Sound are going to try to attack Konoha sometime during the exams. We don't know when exactly it will come, but we know it will be soon.

"Right now, Sakura's just trying to buy us time in her upcoming match against Gaara. There's something off about that kid, and I'm assuming he's more important in this plan than we know."

"We're being invaded," Kakashi's tone was almost breathless, before he was able to recover swiftly. "I'm assuming the Hokage already knows?"

"He does," Hayate said as he leaned slightly against the wall of the hallway. Keeping his eyes and senses alert, he became slightly nervous when he felt a familiar chakra signature in the audience.

"And I'm assuming this all has something to do with you becoming Sakura's teacher?"

"It does," Hayate said as he slipped off the wall, and headed back into the seating area. Looking to his right, Hayate could see an anbu ninja standing guard at one of the entrances. Only, the anbu ninja had a chakra signature very much like the one of Kabuto. Why wasn't Kabuto hiding his chakra signature as well as he should have been? It was almost like the ninja was asking to be caught.

"Do you sense it?" Kakashi asked as he too followed Hayate's line of sight. Before Hayate could respond a loud gasp was heard throughout the audience. This caught the attention of the two jounin, and both looked to the match that was occurring below them.

They had not noticed before what had been happening, but as they looked now, they knew Shikamaru was about to win. As the brunette raised his hand, his voice was heard throughout the arena.

"I forfeit," Shikamaru drawled out boredly as he allowed his shadow to leave Temari's body. The sandy haired kunochi's eyes were wide, and it looked like she was completely surprised that the Nara genius had given up the fight just when he was about to win. "I only had enough chakra to hold onto that a few seconds longer."

Anko, nodding her head slightly, called the match then. "Temari from Suna is the victor," she said as she watched Shikamaru slowly slink back to the booth.

And that's when Hayate started to get nervous. The reason for his nervousness was because his precious student's match was almost up, and she was going to have to fight a monster.

"Kankuro and Shino," Anko growled to the remaining contestants; it seemed Shikamaru's forfeit had increased her impatience and had seriously worsened her mood.

Looking to the balcony, Hayate raised an eyebrow as he watched Kankuro and his sister interact. He looked at her, and the blonde quickly shook her head. Whatever this interaction was, Hayate did not like it.

"I forfeit," Kankuro said before he had even left the balcony. The idea of someone forfeiting before they even fought was ludicrous, especially in the final rounds of the exam… Hayate was worried. This meant that his precious student's match would be sooner than he would have hoped.

Looking to the arena floor, Hayate watched as Anko's eyes danced with mistrust. "Shino Aburame is the winner then," she said while she kept her eyes trained on Kankuro and Temari. "That means Sakura Haruno and Gaara no Sabaku must come down to the arena floor."

"Oh Kami," Hayate breathed as his eyes watched his student. Sakura nodded to the purple haired kunochi before launching herself from the balcony to the floor. She landed on the ground with a feminine grace that she had only showed within the last few weeks of her training. He assumed he had Tsunade to thank for that.

"You watch the match," Kakashi commented from beside him. "If anything smells like foul play stop it. I'll go after our friend over there."

Hayate was too nervous to even speak, so the brunette nodded his affirmation to Kakashi before walking back to his seat.

XxxX

Sakura stood beside Anko as she waited for her opponent to arrive before her. It had taken a lot of courage from Sakura to not just run away from this fight, but Sakura knew there really wasn't any other option than to face Gaara head on.

If she could hurt him somehow, or get through his ultimate defense, then maybe, just maybe, she could help save a few more lives. This red head that she was facing scared the shit out of her, but that wouldn't stop her from trying to harm him with any means necessary.

Sakura could feel the red head's stare as he appeared before her in a whirl of sand. That sand… that sand could be a problem for her. Sakura wondered how hard the sand that was under his control could get. Would it be worth it to try her earth staff, or would she have to try and break down his barrier with her fists?

She had other things that she could try, but she wasn't as well practiced in those. Hayate had only given her a few lessons, and even though she understood the information and the jutsus perfectly well, Sakura didn't have as much faith in them as she did her others. She just hadn't practiced them enough, but that didn't mean she wouldn't use them if she got into a pinch.

Sakura sighed before cracking her knuckles while she waited for her match to begin. She assumed the more she waited, the more nervous she would get, so she looked over to the purple haired proctor. Seeing the kunochi give her a weary look, Sakura nodded before bringing chakra into her fists. Before another second went by, Anko's voice spoke throughout the quiet arena.

"You may begin."

With that said, Anko jumped out of the way almost as if she was expecting something to happen, but it didn't. Sakura still stood in the same position she had been in, and Gaara stood with his arms crossed looking completely indifferent.

After a few minutes of just standing there, almost sizing each other up, Sakura felt it was necessary to begin her plan of attack.

Pumping chakra into her legs Sakura flickered towards where the red head stood. Rapidly doing hand signs, Sakura summoned an earth staff before appearing behind the Suna nin. Swiping her staff at the red head, Sakura watched as a sand barrier appeared around him in the spot she had swung.

Flipping backward, Sakura raced towards him again, only this time her intention was to add more weight to her staff to see if that would change the effect it had on his protective sand.

Before she could, however, Gaara sent a wave of sand barreling toward her. Jumping left and then right, Sakura narrowly avoided her whole left foot being caught in the sand. If any part of her was caught in that sand, the results could be disastrous.

Watching as the sand seemed to follow her every move, Sakura frowned when she realized the sand was pushing her further away from Gaara. It seemed Gaara was a long ranged fighter, and that probably wasn't good for Sakura. Sakura only really had short ranged attacks in her arsenal. Gritting her teeth together, Sakura moved the staff into one hand while summoning chakra into the other.

Slamming her chakra laced fist into the ground, Sakura watched as the sand fell into the new crevice she had just made. Taking this opportunity to (hopefully) catch her opponent off guard, Sakura brought more chakra into her earth staff. Shaping the staff head into a spear, Sakura launched her staff towards Gaara with a great amount of speed.

Before the staff was even close, Gaara's sand grabbed the staff from the air and broke it in two.

"Damn it," Sakura cursed slightly as she flipped backward away from her spot. It seemed Gaara always had her on the move with his damn sand coming after her. If she didn't do something to stop this soon, Sakura knew she was going to tire herself out before the match really even got good.

"Fine," Sakura commented. "If that's how you want to play, then bring it."


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry to leave you hanging on the last chapter. I just wanted to update the last chapter quicker so you guys could read more; that's why I made the fight two chapters instead of just one massive one : )

My apologies for taking so long with this chapter: I am back at college, and sadly cannot write anytime I want. I will be updating whenever I can, believe it.

Oh! And I will be going back (probably after I'm finished with this chapter) to edit the mistakes I have made in previous chapters; thank you to all the reviewers who have told me of the things I need to change. I appreciate it. That way, hopefully I will be filling in all the plot holes I have unintentionally made; I know no body appreciates those. : )

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

Watching her earth staff crumble to the ground, Sakura immediately brought chakra to her fists. If she could just get through Gaara's barrier of sand and punch him with her chakra enhanced fist, Sakura knew that the match would be over. But she was sure the sand wouldn't be that easy to get through; she had remembered Lee's fetal attempts to break through the sand barrier only a month previous. Taking in a deep breath Sakura smirked slightly; that didn't mean she wasn't going to at least try it.

After training with Tsunade, Sakura had found it easier to mold chakra to her fists. She couldn't do it as well as the Sannin, but she could hold her own pretty well. Clenching her fists tightly, Sakura took off racing towards the red head again.

She was able to ignore the sand that was racing to her only out of will power; there was a sense of doom and a promise of pain whenever she looked at the sand. Once the sand surrounded and hardened before her, Sakura brought back her fist and let loose. The sand wavered slightly, but didn't do anything after that.

"A little bit more," Sakura said as she pushed more chakra into her fist. Jumping backward as the sand lashed out after her attack, Sakura watched the red head for a reaction, and was slightly offended when there wasn't one. Was this ninja just playing with her like she was some sort of toy? Oh Kami, nothing could have pissed Sakura off more than someone not taking her seriously.

Gritting her teeth together in irritation, Sakura watched as she continued to pump more chakra into her fists. She had never used this excessive amount of chakra before, but Sakura knew that if she wanted to leave this match with her life she was going to have to try.

Taking another few quick steps backward, Sakura watched as the sand began to surround her again, but this time Gaara had left no exit for the pinkette. The sand surrounded her completely, and as Sakura quickly whipped her head around to look for an escape she found that there wasn't one.

Bracing herself for the sand that slowly crept to her, Sakura looked across the field and into the eyes of the red haired monster before her. It was slightly unnerving when she noticed his eyes were glinting with psychotic glee. The hard jade eyes of her opponent were what snapped Sakura out of her daze and brought her back into fighting mode.

If she waited for the sand to encase her and harden, Sakura knew that the punch she would deliver would allow her to escape. The only problem with her theory, however, was if Gaara tightened his sand too quickly, which would effectively make it so she could not move.

When she was able to escape the sand prison that slowly was encasing her legs, Sakura knew that she needed to try another ninjutsu technique. If her first earth technique hadn't worked so well, maybe another would help her in this situation. She had learned a few from Genma; not to mention the one water jutsu she had learned from Hayate.

Sakura allowed herself to groan quietly as Gaara's sand slowly encased her legs; it seemed he wanted to rip her apart slowly because the sand stopped it's ascent at just below her knee. The sand tightened, and that was when Sakura knew it was her time to act. Pulling back her right fist, Sakura slammed it hard down on the sand surrounding her. The sand quivered slightly, and within two seconds broke apart into small sand particles.

Sakura leaped away before the sand began to harden again, and she landed swiftly next to the tree Shikamaru had hid from Temari, and decided to use it for that purpose; hiding from Gaara.

Smirking at the now enraged look on her opponent's face, Sakura took this time to come up with a new strategy. Adding more chakra into her legs, Sakura left her hiding spot, and sprinted towards where the red head stood. To her, it seemed almost like an insult; the fact that he hadn't yet taken a step during the battle. Sakura wanted, no needed to show her worth in this battle; this battle wasn't just for her life, she assumed she would be saving a lot of other lives if she won.

Racing towards the sand nin, Sakura felt her breathing come out in rapid pants. Both lungs were tightened to an almost painful degree, and Sakura could even see the swell of her chest as she took in another deep breath. Bringing her hands together in front of her chest, Sakura quickly did a few hand signs before she appeared behind the demonic looking red head.

Within an instant the earth felt like it was beginning to shift as a large earth wall sprouted from the ground; this was the earth style wall technique Genma had taught her after she had learned about the earth staff. Sakura listened as Gaara's sand begin to bang on the wall, and knew it was only a matter of time before the sand ignored the wall altogether and either went over it, or through it.

Looking around the ground for something she knew was there, Sakura grinned when she saw it. The hole from Naruto's match; Shikamaru had used it as an advantage, and so would she. Concealing her chakra completely, Sakura leaped into the hole and quickly wiggled her way through the dark tunnel.

The wall was a distraction, more or less; it really wouldn't do anything but buy her time, but that was really all she needed. If she remembered where the other hole was, and where Gaara stood (because he was too much of an ass to move), Sakura estimated the hole would be about a yard away from the red head's location. If his sand was already preoccupied with her wall of dirt, than she would take the advantage to surprise him, or at least that was her plan.

Pulling herself through the hole was a lot easier than expected, Sakura told herself as she started to see sunlight from the other end of the hole. She assumed it was because Naruto's body had made this hole, and Sakura was, thankfully, smaller than the blonde. As Sakura pushed her arms upward, she grabbed the outside of the hole and threw herself upward. Without even giving herself a change to breathe, Sakura's hands began to make hand signs again as she raced towards her target; the red head looked like he was still nonchalantly focused on her earth wall.

Bringing her hands together for the last sign, Sakura watched as Gaara felt her chakra waver from behind him. His sand flew up in defense to her sudden approach, but Sakura was already only a few steps behind him. Reaching for the red head, Sakura cursed when he actually stepped a few feet back to get away from her. Her jutsu flared into her hands before she could cancel it, and Sakura breathed out, "Water prison jutsu."

The water trap that had once encased her sensei had trapped a large wall of sand. The water was a ball of about five feet, and Sakura would have smiled at the size of it, but she couldn't. That jutsu had wasted a lot of chakra out of her because she had intended to make it strong enough to catch Gaara in. Frowning, Sakura allowed the jutsu to drop before taking a large leap backward. She waited for the sand that she had just had trapped to retaliate, but it didn't. The sand that had been trapped within her jutsu now lay uselessly on the ground; the only difference was the color of the sand was a darker shade than it had been originally.

Sakura watched as her opponent's mouth set into a grim line. "My sand," he muttered from under his breath, and Sakura realized for the first time that Gaara was in fact not invincible. If she had been able to defeat some of his sand, then she could defeat him. Grinning, Sakura watched as Gaara sent his dry sand flying towards her.

Maybe it was the fact that he was finally taking her seriously that made her smile, because really, if anyone else had been smiling in this situation Sakura knew she would have thought they were crazy. Sakura quickly began doing hand signs again, and watched as another earth wall stood before her. Sakura knew it wouldn't take Gaara nearly as long to figure out how to break through this one, but Sakura needed more time to try and collect her wits about her.

Because now that she knew water was Gaara's weakness, Sakura knew that she would have to use her water prison jutsu again. To do that, however, Sakura would need to get close enough to reach him. Frowning as the sand banged on her earth wall, Sakura tried to think up a new strategy of attack. What would Hayate do in this situation, Sakura found herself asking. She knew her sensei had dealt with a lot of enemy shinobi, where as she herself had dealt with very few.

Because of her lack of experience, Sakura bit the inside of her lip slightly; there were a few things she could do in this situation, but Sakura knew they probably wouldn't have the effect she really needed them to have. Sighing slightly, Sakura concealed her chakra before finding the tunnel she had used only a few moments ago.

The earth wall she had made earlier was still slightly intact, and maybe that would allow her to gain the element of surprise again. Nodding, Sakura quickly leaped into the tunnel, and began to crawl. Sakura knew that she would need to hurry this time, because if she didn't then there was a possibility Gaara would know where she went.

If he found her using the tunnel, he could push sand into both entrances and smother her. Shivering slightly, Sakura made quick work of the tunnel, and exited it. Cursing softly, Sakura watched as the red head's sand made a final push to break through her second wall of earth. Leaping to her feet, Sakura brought chakra into her fists and charged at an unsuspecting Gaara.

Before she could even throw a punch, Sakura knew that Gaara had felt her chakra signature. Watching the wall of sand surround him in defense, Sakura increased the amount of chakra in her hand. Slamming her fist hard against his defensive shield, Sakura grinned slightly when the sand wavered. Quickly placing chakra into her legs, Sakura sped to the other side of Gaara, and slammed her fist against the sand again. This fist had the same effect as the last one, and Sakura felt a small bit of frustration.

Even at her strongest, Sakura couldn't break through his stupid barrier. Taking a quick step back, Sakura watched as some of Gaara's sand began to chase after her. The fact that he didn't want her close to him gave Sakura the idea that he was scared of her getting too close.

As Sakura felt her breathing continue to rise, she knew that she wouldn't be able to last much longer. She had built up a little bit of chakra storage within the last month of her training, but it was nowhere near the amount she would need to fully take down someone such as Gaara. The least she could do was tire him out as much as she could to try and help the ninja of Konoha.

Taking in a deep breath through her nose, Sakura let it out through her mouth as she assessed how much chakra she really did have left. Frowning she realized it was enough for only one more jutsu; two if she tried to stretch it. Bringing her hands together rapidly, Sakura began making hand signs. An earth staff appeared within her hands with a poof, and Sakura grinned at the length of it. This earth staff was a foot longer than she herself was, and that made it all the more sweet.

Racing toward where the red head stood, Sakura waited until the sand almost touched her before she started to act out her plan. Jabbing the stick into the ground a good three feet in front of her, Sakura used her momentum to swing over the sand while using her stick.

Dropping the stick without a moment's hesitation, Sakura knew the poor stick had fallen to its doom because she had heard it break rather than saw it happen. Quickly, Sakura did hand signs as she sailed closer and closer to her intended target.

While Sakura completed her last hand sign, she was nearly a foot away from him. "Water prison jutsu."

XxxX

Kakashi frowned as he walked over to the anbu member; Kabuto usually wasn't as careless with hiding his chakra signature as he was currently being. Even while walking over to the enemy nin, Kakashi realized that Kabuto must have sensed him.

"So how do you think the matches are going, Anbu-san?" Kakashi asked in a light form of banter as he appeared before Kabuto. Kakashi noticed that Kabuto didn't even have the decency to flinch, or even straighten at Kakashi's sudden appearance.

"We both know each other well enough Kakashi-kun," Kabuto stated, and Kakashi could have sworn there was a smirk in the man's voice. "I don't think formalities are necessary."

"Alright then, Kabuto," Kakashi spoke quietly as he noticed the unbelievable quietness of the crowd: it was almost as if a match wasn't going on. There was no cheering; no one was even talking. "When is the attack on Konoha going to begin?"

Kabuto then had the decency to take off his anbu mask; his glasses shimmered as the light of the sun reflected off of them. Kabuto gave Kakashi a dark smirk, but his eyes stayed on the arena before them. "Now, I believe, Kakashi-kun."

And with that Kakashi heard a scream; a very feminine scream.

XxxX

Sakura collided with Gaara as her water prison encased his body. She had landed a little rougher than she would have liked, but it was no matter. The jutsu had been effective, and all Sakura had to do was wait until the red head in her prison passed out.

Standing on quivering legs, both of Sakura's hands were supporting the large water based prison. It was a little over five feet, and seemed to fit the red head's size perfectly. Sakura's emerald eyes flashed to the red head, and she frowned when she noticed his hands began to move.

Looking around her, Sakura gasped as the sand that was on the ground began to surround her form. She thought that if she had caught Gaara in her jutsu, then Gaara wouldn't be able to use any of his jutsu. But as she watched the sand begin to swirl on the ground, Sakura noticed it began to get more and more wild. Sakura looked back up to Gaara, and frowned at what she saw: the red head's eyes were still open, but instead of the piercing jade she had been growing accustom to one was now a sandy yellow.

Before she could even think about letting the red head go, the sand slowly began to encompass the water prison she had created; with the added weight from the sand, Sakura knew she couldn't hold onto the water prison any longer, she was lucky enough to be standing as it was. Sakura let the water prison jutsu go before taking a few steps backward; she prayed that had been enough time in the water to do something to him.

There was a sense of foreboding in the air, and the crowd that was surrounding her was silent; this was the first time she realized they had been utterly quiet throughout the entire match.

Anko took a wary step forward from her spot a few yards away; she had been watching the match diligently, and deemed it necessary to speak. Looking to the unmoving mass that lay hidden under the mound of sand, the purple haired woman then turned to Sakura.

"Sakura Haruno is the-"

Before she could finish that sentence, Sakura watched as the mass of sand slowly began to move. A figure, Sakura assumed it to be Gaara, began to stand from the sand, and only a second after, Sakura was thrust backward by a giant hand of sand.

As Sakura flew through the air she couldn't help but let out a loud scream. Within seconds Sakura's body smashed against the arena wall, and the sand seemed to only push her body harder against the wall. With a groan of pain, Sakura felt the sand on her body tighten. As she fought with consciousness, the last thing Sakura saw was the frightful expression on her sensei's face. "Hay-a..te."

XxxX

From the stands, Hayate watched in anticipation as Sakura completed her last jutsu. He was proud that he had taught her that; the water prison technique was usually a Chuunin or higher level technique, but Hayate had known Sakura would be able to handle it.

As he watched the final moments of the match progress, Hayate felt like there was something incredibly wrong; the change in Gaara's chakra signature told him that. And as Gaara sent Sakura flying through the air, Hayate had known he was right.

Leaping from his seat in the bleachers, Hayate's eyes connected with Sakura's emerald as she stayed pinned to the wall like a rag doll. The sand had surrounded her whole body, and the only thing visible was his student's head. Frowning, he watched Sakura mutter something quietly before she passed out.

Jumping from the stands, Hayate immediately raced towards where his student lay pinned, but a red headed male stopped him before he was barely half way to her.

"This is still a match," The red head seemed to grin with glee, and at the sight of him, Hayate knew something was wrong; this person was not the Gaara of only five minutes ago. Gaara's hair was still the same fire engine red, but his eye had changed. One had changed to a sandy yellow color, and while Hayate looked to the rest of his body, that was when he noticed the other difference; Gaara's left arm was completely encased in sand. "I'm not finished with her yet."

"Well I'm not letting you touch her again," Hayate said with a growl; behind him he felt Genma's chakra flicker before the other brunette landed next to him.

"We're not going to let you," Genma affirmed with a nod as the senbon needle he had in his mouth earlier in the day had moved to his hand; a twin needle appeared in his other hand as well.

Even with Genma at his side, Hayate seemed to feel no relief. Frowning, Hayate watched as the red head actually threw his head back and laughed at them. The dark chuckle that escaped Gaara's throat certainly couldn't have been human, and caused Hayate to shiver slightly.

Looking over the red headed monster's shoulder, his heart almost clenched when he saw the sand tighten around Sakura's body. He needed to do something to save her; how many times had she been in this position, and somehow saved him?

Before he could act, however, Hayate leaped to the left as a chakra signature flowing with power approached. Turning his head, Hayate noticed the youngest Uchiha jump from the balcony towards the red head; a certain chakra burned in the black haired teen's hand, and the sound of a thousand chirping birds bounced throughout the arena.

Hayate and Genma both jumped a few more yards backwards at the sight of the Uchiha wielding the chidori. It must have been something Kakashi had taught the boy, not that Hayate was surprised. A power hungry Uchiha would want a powerful technique like that.

Hayate watched as Sasuke jammed his lightening enhanced arm towards Gaara, and Hayate had to wonder why the Uchiha was doing this. Did he want to save Sakura from whatever jutsu Gaara had her under, or did he want to become the hero of the village? Hayate assumed the youngest Uchiha was only attacking Gaara to show off his strength, not in fact, to save his precious teammate.

As a wave of chakra fell over the arena, Hayate turned towards the stands to see the crowd falling under a genjutsu induced sleep. Quickly bringing his hands together, he dispelled the jutsu from his body without even real thought, and raced toward Sakura.

The pink haired girl still lay horizontally against the wall; the only thing holding her up was the sand that slowly clenched at her body. At the sight, Hayate raced passed Gaara; the red head couldn't stop the brunette from passing by. It seemed, even if Sasuke meant to or not, he was helping; Hayate would need to thank the youngster later. Sasuke was the distraction Hayate had needed.

Bringing his hands together rapidly, Hayate immediately thought of a jutsu to free Sakura; he had seen the effect Sakura's water jutsu had had on Gaara's sand. He would use his student's own trick to help save her. Hayate brought his hands together to make the last hand sign, and took a large inhale of breath. Blowing the breath back out, Hayate shot water bullets out his mouth and toward the sand covering Sakura's body. Hayate watched as the water splashed against the sand, and caused the sand particles to grow heavy. Under the added weight of the water from Hayate's jutsu, the sand began to slip off of the wall, and off of Sakura's body.

As Sakura fell forward off of the wall, Hayate was there to catch her. Squeezing her in his arms Hayate knew he never wanted to let her go again.


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry for such the long update drought. I decided to finish one of my other stories before updating this one. Sorry, but thank you for all the reviews from the last chapter!

AND I should be updating more frequently! This is because I'm almost finished with my sophomore year in college! Woot woot!

And to the people who have messaged me: thank you. I felt like I needed the extra boost to help me finish this update. Sorry it's not as long as the previous chapter; hopefully I'll be able to get the next one up sooner.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

Hayate caught her as she fell, and he held his breath as he felt hers leave her body. "Sakura?" he questioned quietly. Gritting his teeth, Hayate quickly felt the small body of his student for a pulse. Finding a small, fluctuating one, Hayate knew he would have to do something to help her soon.

Thinking of all the possibilities that would help him save Sakura, the first one that came to mind was also the easiest one to turn down. Of course he would think of Tsunade-sama first, but she was at the hospital trying to prevent casualties as much as she could. Shizune was also there, and Hayate believed he would not get to the hospital, safely, in the time he needed to.

Thinking quickly again, Hayate knew another way to try and save her. Every Jounin was supposed to have a common knowledge of basic first aid; even though what he was about to do wasn't basic, he had seen it done in the field many times.

The act of breathing for someone else didn't have a name, but Hayate was about to do it.

It was obvious Sakura had not been breathing properly when her body had been smashed against the wall and Gaara's sand. He would do compressions against her chest to help her heart beat regularly while breathing into her mouth to help regulate her breathing.

The act could be seen as intimate, but Hayate didn't have the time to worry about that. Bringing Sakura closer to his body, he prayed upon prayed that Kami would help her.

XxxX

Genma glared as he flicked his tongue around in his mouth; it was a nervous habit, but the brunette didn't care at this point. How dare that red haired brat hurt his friend? His brown eyes flickered over the red head boy as he became more of a monster.

The boy's sand was now becoming apart of him, and Genma didn't know how to react. He had heard about the Shukaku, the one tailed beast. He was a little unnerved at how to defeat him.

But right now, his concern was for more than his own safety. Sasuke Uchiha's hand was like a lightning of blue as it slammed against the red head's sand cocoon. When the Uchiha had first slammed his hand against Gaara, the red head had let out a high pitched yell; a yell that sounded like he was going through immense pain. It sounded like he had been dying, and Genma could only hope that were true.

Nodding slightly to Sasuke, Genma tried to think of a plan. There were too many people around, and they were too likely to get injured if the battle continued in this arena. Glancing over to where his best friend and Sakura were, Genma knew he didn't want those two to get hurt.

"We're going to have to move this fight Uchiha," Genma said while doing a quick earth jutsu. As Genma's rock-fist jutsu flew out of the ground and towards Gaara, Sasuke took the initiative to take a large jump backward.

The rock first connected with a wall of sand, but the jutsu was only meant to be used as a distraction anyway.

Nodding his head slightly, Sasuke leaped towards the red head again, but this time, it was in a teasing manner. Sasuke elusively dodged Gaara's sand attacks, and smirked as he looked to the red head. "You're not much of a fight Sabaku," Sasuke muttered with a slight sneer as he took a step towards the arena wall. The wall had been cracked from the previous fight, and Sasuke was able to launch himself through the opening without any problem. "You're not even worth my time."

With a snarl, the red headed monster followed Sasuke out of the arena. Knowing it wasn't the best idea to send him off on his own, Genma retreated back to the booth where most of the competitors lay unconscious. He found who he was looking for immediately, because Naruto lay on the ground in a haphazard mess of orange.

Genma had felt the genjutsu earlier, so he didn't question the blonde. Kneeling next to him, he let out a quiet, "Kai," to quickly dismiss the genjutsu he had been under.

"Naruto," Genma looked at the blonde sternly as his blue eyes opened slowly. "Sasuke is fighting Gaara, but the red head's a monster now. I need you to go help Sasuke."

"What happened to Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked with a slight breathless tone. So the jutsu had occurred before the final attack on Sakura had been made. Genma clicked his tongue before explaining it quickly.

"She's hurt," Genma said with gritted teeth. His eyes looked back to his two friends who were still on the arena floor; the two looked like sitting ducks out there in the arena. He had to get over to them soon. "Gaara did it."

Naruto's eyes flashed red before he stood from his spot on the ground. Before Genma could say anymore, the blonde rushed off in the direction of where Sasuke and Gaara and went; Genma didn't even question how the blonde knew which direction the Uchiha and the Shukaku went.

Seeing the "slumbering" Nara also on the ground, Genma gave the male a swift kick in the gut causing the brunette haired teen to groan quietly. "You too Nara," Genma said with a small smirk. "No pretending to be asleep kid, especially when the whole village is being invaded."

"Yar Yar," Shikamaru said as he got to his feet. The young teen gave Genma a sarcastic salute before his lazy brown eyes scanned the arena. Looking to where the blonde was now leaping through the open arena wall, Shikamaru sighed before following after; all-be-it a little more slowly. With a nod to himself, Genma looked back to the arena floor.

Immediately Genma jumped into action before a sound ninja could sneak up on Hayate. Landing without a sound, Genma slammed one of his unused senbon needles into the ninja before glancing to the two next to him.

Hayate was currently giving Sakura's chest compressions, and Genma watched as Sakura's chest slowly began to regain regular breathing. Looking to his brunette companion, Genma watched as Hayate removed his hands from Sakura's chest before softly turning her chin upward.

He watched as Hayate took in a deep breath through his nose, and brought his lips to Sakura's. It was obvious Hayate had been doing this procedure for a while, because the brunette headed man appeared natural while doing it. If Genma himself were doing it, he probably wouldn't be as calm and collected as Hayate.

"How's she doing?" Genma found himself asking as he watched the arena with weary eyes. Even with the warning Konoha had about invasion, it seemed there would still be losses. Genma's eyes caught sight of two silver haired males fighting a few yards away, but he quickly turned away; that was not his fight, even though he wished it were.

"Better," Hayate said as he took in a deep breath of air. Moving his hand to Sakura's neck, Hayate breathed out a sigh of relief as he felt her heart rate finally return to a somewhat normal one. "She's finally breathing regularly on her own."

"If this was any other situation I would be making fun of you right now," Genma muttered as he blocked another attack from a sand ninja. The sand ninja groaned as a senbon needle was slammed into his neck: the ninja fell quickly.

"Not the time," Hayate gave the brunette a slight glare as he picked Sakura up slowly. "I think it would be safest to get Sakura out of here. She's still a target; I know Sand and Sound haven't forgotten she was the one who ultimately disrupted their plans."

"To the hospital then?" Genma questioned as he watched his friend stand with Sakura in his arms. "It might not be the safest place in Konoha, but at least we'd be able to protect her there. Plus, Tsunade-sama would make sure that Sakura really was okay."

"Hm," Hayate pondered as he watched the battle around him. Konoha hospital was probably halfway across the village, but he knew there were more shinobi at the hospital than anywhere else. Nodding his head slightly, he watched Genma leap away from the arena before he slowly followed.

XxxX

Kakashi glared as he felt two of his students' chakra leave the arena. Gripping his kunai a little tighter, he flung it at his opponent effortlessly. "So this was your plan all along, was it?" Kakashi questioned as he watched the other silver haired nin dodge his kunai.

"Not my plan per say, but yes this was the plan from the beginning," Kabuto said as his hands glowed a familiar blue color. The two were taking each other seriously, but Kakashi felt this battle was going on longer than necessary.

"This was Orochimaru's plan to take over Konoha, and also to recover Sasuke," Kakashi muttered while leaping a few feet backward. He knew firsthand what it felt like to be on the receiving end of a chakra scalpel; he had a searing pain on his thigh to prove it.

"Lord Orochimaru wouldn't be interested in taking over Konoha," Kabuto spoke out snarkily. "But revenge is always important. Haven't you realized I've been distracting you all this time?"

Raising an eyebrow, Kakashi glanced around to the carnage. There were ninjas scattered around the arena: some that were fighting and some that were laying on the ground either unconscious or dead. Kakashi did note that there were many more shinobi from other villages that were the ones down. It seemed the Hokage had been well-prepared for the attack. Sakura had done well.

Looking back to his silver haired opponent, Kakashi raised an eyebrow. What the hell had Kabuto been talking about? But then, it all clicked.

"Hokage-sama," Kakashi muttered while his eyes darted around the arena. "And Sakura." The old man was nowhere to be seen, and neither was his pink haired student. Kakashi's mismatching eyes glared back towards his opponent; the silver haired man smirked.

"It took you long enough, Kakashi," Kabuto said with a smirk. "But then again, revenge is always more sweeter than protecting the ones closest to you, don't you think?"

Kakashi let out a growl sound as he made a few rapid hand signs. Within seconds, four ninja dogs appeared before him. "Find Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and the Hokage," Kakashi ordered the dogs quickly as his eyes scanned the arena. He had not thought about it before, but he no longer could feel his students' chakra signatures near the arena at all. Kakashi was sure if he had enough time to really try, then he could sense the three students, but now he did not have the time.

The four dogs rushed off in whirls of yips and barks; Kakashi allowed himself to relax slightly. He didn't know how Kabuto's last statement unnerved him, but it did. Bringing his hands together, Kakashi glared towards the other silver haired nin and began making hand signs.

"Sending your dogs won't help the Hokage," Kabuto said as he let out a large laugh. "Orochimaru-sama is already going to take care of him. It's nice that you're concerned for your students. Too bad they will be the next ones to be knocked down by my Master."

Grunting slightly, Kakashi let out a ball of fire as he leaped towards his opponent. He didn't know what Kabuto meant, he didn't have time to think about what Kabuto meant; all Kakashi knew was this battle had been going on long enough.

Seeing that his fireball missed the mark, Kakashi grabbed a few kunai. As soon as he finished the battle, he would find Sasuke, and then he would find Naruto. After he was sure they were safe, he would look for Sakura. He was sure Hayate and Genma were keeping her safe anyhow; they did a far better job at it than he ever could.

XXXX

As he was leaping from one roof to another, Hayate quickly dodged an attack from an enemy shinobi. He hated feeling helpless like this, but there was no other way to keep him and Sakura safe. With Sakura in his arms, he could not attack back, and dodging seemed to be his only option.

Genma was a little further ahead trying to clear a path to the hospital; slowly but surely the group of three were making it to the hospital. It was taking longer than Hayate wanted, or even expected, but so far the group had made it a fourth of the way there without any real problems.

"We should probably switch to running on the ground," Genma called over his shoulder as he slammed a kunai into a sound ninja's gut. The brunette had run out of senbon needles, and that was a shock to Hayate. Genma usually kept at least twenty needles on his person; there were just too many opposing shinobi.

"Good idea," Hayate called as he watched Genma jump down to an alley way. Hayate was quick to follow his friend, and the two landed quietly next to each other. "This is taking a little too long."

"I can only agree," Genma grunted as he started towards the front of the alley. As Hayate was about to follow, he head a quiet groan from his arms. Looking down to the pinkette, Hayate tried to fight off a smile.

At least she was okay, and now, it even seemed like she was gaining a little bit of consciousness. Following after Genma, Hayate could only pause at seeing what stood in front of them.

It was a group of sound ninja, and Hayate wasn't sure if he and his companion could handle the group of ten that were standing there. The group had yet to notice them, but with Sakura stirring in his arms, Hayate knew it was only a matter of time.

Just as the two friends were about to sink back into the alley way, a loud woof could be heard. Cursing slightly, Hayate turned towards the sound and noticed a dog, about three fourths the size of Sakura, come plowing over the roof. The dog was a dark brown and looked bull-like with a massive head and a massive body. The dog leaped towards the group of ten shinobi with a sense of fearlessness, and made quick work of them.

Two of the enemy shinobi were scared away by shear bulk of the animal, and the dog quickly grabbed one of the remaining shinobi with his giant mouth. Jumping towards another shinobi, the dog's massive paws slammed against the man's chest. Taking the initiative, Genma proceeded forward with a pair of kunai. Ramming one against a sound ninja's temple, Genma continued on to his next opponent.

While this was going on, Hayate was watching from the side lines. He knew who the nin dog belonged to, he just didn't understand why the dog had been sent to them in the first place. Turning towards the pink haired girl in his arms, Hayate allowed himself a sigh of relief when he noticed her emerald eyes flutter open.

"How do you feel?" He questioned quietly while his eyes flickered from her to the group in front of him. He watched Sakura as she took in a deep breath of air before coughing lightly.

"M.. my chest feels ti-ght," Sakura said quietly while she took in another deep breath. It hurt, she wasn't exaggerating when she said her chest felt tight, but then again, she had been pinned against a wall and a large amount of sand; that had really not been a good feeling.

Taking in another breath, Sakura looked to her surroundings, and then looked to her sensei in question. "Where?"

"We were on our way to the hospital," Hayate commented while he held her a little tighter. Sakura nodded slightly.

"Is, is everyone… okay?"

"We don't know yet," Genma commented while walking up to the group. The sound ninja had been disposed of quickly, and Genma walked to the pair with Kakashi's large dog next to him.

"Bull," Sakura said with a slight tip of her head; Sakura of course had seen the large dog when Kakashi had fought and beaten Zabuza. It did confuse her to why he was here, though. It was obvious Kakashi had sent him, she just didn't understand why.

"Kakashi's dog?" Genma questioned while looking at the large brown mass of fur. "He can accompany us to the hospital. I'm glad to see you're awake Sakura-Chan, but I still want you to get checked out by Tsunade-sama before I hug the life out of you."

The brunette before her caused her to smile. Looking to the brunette that was holding her, Sakura smiled a little larger. "Let's go," the pinkette spoke quietly. Hayate only nodded his head in agreement.


	14. Chapter 14

A Chance Encounter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Hey guys! I thought I would try to get out another update as soon as I possibly could. : ) I'm hoping the invasion part of this story will be over soon, and then we can start getting Sakura stronger.

I'm wondering if I should do a time skip, to where Sakura is a little older, and then her romance with Hayate can begin… Just giving you all a warning about that : ) it may happen, it may not.

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Tsunade's blonde pig tailed hair fluttered behind her as she stalked through the hospital. Things had certainly gone downhill since she had last been here; she was not at all impressed with Konoha's hospital or its staff. The caliber of medics was even a joke compared to what it used to be; Tsunade was not happy at all.

Walking past a hospital room, she stopped herself from going into the room and yelling at everyone in there; Sakura knew more about medicine than all of these medics combined. After this invasion was over, Tsunade promised herself she was going to help rebuild the hospital, and fire all the lazy bastards that were inside of it.

Heading to the front of the hospital, she froze when she felt Hayate and Genma's chakra speeding towards here. Flaring her chakra lightly, Tsunade even felt her soon-to-be apprentice's chakra, even though it was barely there.

Tsunade had really wanted to go out to the arena to watch Sakura's match, and to ensure Sakura and the Hokage's safety. But, she knew that she would be needed at the hospital, and now, seeing the hospital and its entire staff at work, Tsunade knew she had made the right decision.

Picking up her pace slightly, Tsunade headed to the front doors. She would hopefully intercept the group of three when they got here. The only reason the three would risk coming here would be if something bad had happened, and Tsunade knew, at the feeling of Sakura's chakra, that something bad had indeed happened.

As the blonde stepped outside of the hospital, she watched the group of three, four if you counted the nin dog that ran with them, hurry towards the hospital. It had felt like forever since she had last seen the three, but in reality it had only been less than a day.

"What's wrong?" Tsunade questioned as the group landed in front of them. Before they could say anything, Tsunade sent a hard punch to a sound ninja that had been following them.

"I'm fine, Tsunade-sama," Sakura said with a slight smile as she held her ribs tightly. Even with the pinkette's response, Tsunade was no fool. The fact that Sakura was being carried attested to the fact that she couldn't be fine.

"You don't look fine, Sakura," Tsunade said with a frown as she walked the group into the hospital. Looking at the dog, she shook her head. "The dog can't come with us; he'll contaminate the whole hospital."

"Bull," Sakura said with a slight frown; she had not yet realized why the dog had been sent to her. "I'm fine. Go find the Hokage and make sure he is okay."

The dog grunted but shook his overly large head. Tsunade looked back to the dog with a great deal of seriousness. "Well you can't come inside. You'll just have to wait outside, and when you feel Sakura's chakra signature enter a hospital room, you can wait outside of it."

The dog grunted again, but this time nodded his head in agreement. Without even saying good bye to the dog, the group of four entered.

"What happened?" Tsunade questioned Hayate, who seemed to be the most level headed. He also wouldn't lie about Sakura's condition, like Sakura herself had done.

"Sakura was crushed against the arena wall and Gaara's sand," Hayate said while laying Sakura down on a gurney. Sakura protested slightly, but was hushed by Hayate's stern look. "There was a point in which she was not breathing regularly, and now she says her ribs hurt."

Tsunade ignored Sakura's protests as her hands began glowing green. Bringing them down to the pinkette's body, Tsunade let out a sigh before giving her a stern glare. "You went too far," the blonde said as her hands guided over the girl's small body. "Your chakra network is overworked, and more than a few of your ribs are broken. You pushed yourself too far Sakura."

"There was no other-"

"I don't even want to hear it," Tsunade said with a shake of her head. With a sigh, the blonde stopped the chakra that came from her hands. "You'll be fine, even though you're not completely fine right now. But I forbid you from leaving the hospital until at least this invasion is over."

"Yes Tsunade-sama," Sakura said with a slight nod. She didn't want to agree, but what good would she be out in the village? There would be no way for her to defend herself, and she would only get in the way. The one thing she did feel good about was the damage she had done to Gaara; sure she hadn't defeated him, but at least she had dealt some kind of damage to the red head, and she had also been able to find a weakness in his so called ultimate defense.

Looking to her two brunette senseis, Sakura's eyebrow rose. "Aren't you two going back out there?" Sakura asked while she looked to the two. Of course she didn't really want them to leave; Hayate especially had a target on his back from the beginning.

"We just wanted to make sure you were okay!" Genma looked back to the pink haired girl with a grin. "And now, I get to squeeze the life out of you; you made me so worried."

Sakura fought a smile as Genma practically tackled her. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, and sighed once she hugged him back. "I'm glad you're okay, kid."

Sakura had to fight a laugh when Genma was suddenly thrown from Sakura rather roughly. The blonde that threw him from Sakura's person was glaring daggers at the brunette. "Didn't you hear what I just said?" Tsunade said. "I said she will be okay, not that she is! No squeezing!"

Genma looked to Sakura with a puppy dog pout, and Sakura finally did laugh. "It's really okay," she said as she looked to her blonde sensei. "I feel a lot better."

Tsunade's glare shut her up though, and Sakura sighed. Looking up, she smiled softly when she noticed Hayate standing in front of her. "I'm glad you're okay," he said with a smile, and reached over to hug her gently. After a few short seconds, he leaned back, and looked to his best friend. "Let's get going."

"Sure thing boss," Genma responded sarcastically as he mock saluted back to the brunette. As he followed Hayate out of the hospital, he turned around and winked towards Sakura. "Stay safe, ya hear?"

Sakura grinned at Genma's antics and nodded. Looking to Tsunade, Sakura sighed. "Is there something I can help with here?"

"I'm not going to let you waste your nonexistent chakra," Tsunade said as she motioned for her to follow. "But I will have you help in the emergency room. Get things the other medics need, and if you see them doing something wrong, don't be afraid to voice your opinion. Kami knows they don't know anything about medicine here."

"Of course," Sakura said as her mood brightened considerably; she had to fight a small giggle from escaping her. "I'll do anything to help."

XxxX

Hayate gritted his teeth as he and Genma worked their way back to the arena. Being loyal Konoha ninja, Hayate knew he and Genma should have gone to protect the Hokage when the attack first had commenced. He couldn't just leave Sakura though; it actually pained him to see her in that position.

Hayate had met this little pink haired girl only a little over a month ago, and already she was someone very important to him. He had been angry at seeing her so helpless… and he had been angry at himself for not protecting her.

He was sure the Hokage would understand; Hayate owed Sakura a lot, and he hadn't been about to abandon her when she had really needed it.

Hayate sighed as he defeated another sand ninja with his dance of the crescent moon. His sword was still drawn as he nodded to Genma; the other brunette nodded back before the two launched forward together. The amount of enemy ninja had started to decrease in their numbers, and Hayate knew that Konoha was only a mere hour or so away from complete victory.

As Hayate and Genma drew closer to the arena, Hayate felt an ominous aura around the arena. There was a severe amount of chakra pouring from the arena, and Hayate had no idea where it was coming from. The chakra was completely unnatural, though, and he worried for his fellow nins' safety.

As he looked over to his friend Genma, the look on Genma's face showed that his friend had also never felt something of this magnitude. A silent nod caused the two to increase their pace.

"What do you think it is?" Genma asked as their speed increased. Hayate was about to shrug, until the arena came into view.

"Is that a chakra barrier?" Hayate asked. Looking to the other brunette, he saw Genma's eyebrows furrow.

"Is that why I can't feel Hokage-sama's chakra?" Genma asked in response to Hayate's question. Genma was always good at sensing others' chakra signatures, Hayate thought, if Genma could no long sense the Hokage's chakra the barrier was either very strong, or the Hokage was dead…

He sincerely hoped the former was the case. Quickly entering the arena, Hayate looked to the carnage that was caused by the invasion, and the fight before the invasion.

Sand still littered the arena, but that wasn't the only thing that was scattered around. Bodies, both unconscious and not, lay around the arena. Many ninja still stood fighting, though, and Hayate recognized one ninja right away.

"What's going on here Kakashi?" Hayate asked while he appeared beside him. The silver haired shinobi Kakashi had been previously fighting could not be seen, but that didn't mean it was safe to just stand there and talk; both ninja stood in a ready stance, neither one was looking at the other.

"Orochimaru was disguising himself as the Sand Kazekage," Kakashi said a little breathlessly. "He and the Hokage are in that barrier… no one can get in."

"Is he-?" Genma couldn't even ask his question. Just as he was about to finish, a loud booming noise was heard throughout the arena, and the barrier quickly dispersed. All the ninja in the arena who had been fighting stopped, and turned towards where the barrier used to be.

As the three ninja raced towards the roof the barrier once stood on, they noticed the jungle of trees that littered the rooftop. Speeding up a little quicker, Kakashi, Hayate and Genma arrived just in time to see a figure jump out of the trees. Four more figures appeared by the first figure's side, and it only took moments for the group of five to disappear.

"Orochimaru?" Hayate questioned breathlessly. "If Orochimaru is still alive, that means-"

"Hokage-sama!" The shinobi surrounding the arena all appeared before the roof top forest, and Gai was the first one to appear with the said Hokage in his arms.

The man was pale, deathly so, and his breathing was slow. His eyes were hooded, and life was about to leave him. "I was-sn't able to do it," were the Hokage's last words before he took his last breath, and he passed away.

In respect to the third Hokage, Gai set the man down on the ground and quickly bowed; the Konoha shinobi all followed suit. This man had been the leader of the village, and even in death, he would still be respected.

A long moment of silence was held for the man, and in that moment of silence, Hayate realized how short life was. He realized within the past month, he had been near Death's door at least three times.

Taking in a deep breath, Hayate also realized Sakura had been at Death's door at least once, and that was one too many. Looking to the third Hokage's body, he made a silent promise to keep Sakura safe for as long as he was able. The Hokage's death proved that anything could happen at any time.

Standing from his bowed position, he walked up to Gai before quickly whispering to him. "We should take him to the hospital," Hayate whispered quietly; he couldn't understand why he was so calm and emotionless in this instant, but it was like the brunette didn't feel at this point in time. The Hokage, the man he had known for all of his twenty years of life, was dead… The man who had been the strongest shinobi in the village was dead.

Hollowly, Hayate watched as Gai picked up the Hokage again. Two anbu flanked his left and right sides, and Gai slowly started to leave the arena. The third Hokage's body would be treated with the utmost respect, and a funeral lasting at least a week would be held for him shortly; this, Hayate knew. What he didn't know, however, was the meaning of the Third's last words.

It was obvious that Orochimaru had survived the encounter with the Third; had this been the thing Sarutobi had not been able to do? It was something Hayate had a hard time thinking about as he followed Gai to the hospital; Genma was to his right, and Kakashi was a little ways in front of them.

The fighting had stopped. The remaining Sand and Sound ninja had either been captured, or had escaped while the rest of the Konoha shinobi had been distracted by the Third's death. The invasion was over and Konoha was the victor, but that didn't mean the Leaf shinobi were happy with the end results of the invasion.

XxxX

The funeral was a sad place to be, three days following the attack. Sakura stood in between Genma and Hayate; her hands clenched tightly in both of theirs. After the invasion was over, both men had been hard pressed to leave Sakura's side. Sakura felt the same way, and holding onto their hands a little tighter, she thought about the man that lay in the casket before them.

How had the man she had known and loved for thirteen years be dead? The third Hokage had always been so nice, and he always had treated her like an important grandchild. Now, as she looked over to his real grandchild, Sakura could only feel pity for Konohamaru.

In the end, the third had been able to do more than most realized. During his autopsy, Tsunade had found a seal on the Third's body; Tsunade had known what had happened after a little more investigation. The Third Hokage had been a hero; he had sealed the use of both of Orochimaru's arms… the man would never be able to use seals again.

It was bittersweet; Sakura knew the Hokage had given his life to stop Orochimaru, but he hadn't really stopped him either. As she gripped Hayate and Genma's hands a little tighter, she watched the new Hokage for her reaction.

Tsunade had been one of the ones that were nominated for the Hokage position after the Third had died; she had said she didn't want the position, but somehow, Sakura's old teammate Naruto had convinced her to take the position.

As she watched Tsunade finish her speech, she knew the funeral would be ending soon. Looking up to the sky, Sakura's emerald eyes watched the dark clouds start to roll in overhead. The weather easily fitted the mood of everyone at the funeral; everyone seemed to be mourning.

As she watched the other people of the village file out, shinobi and civilian alike, Sakura let go of Genma and Hayate's hands and walked up to Tsunade. The pinkette had wanted to talk to the newly appointed Hokage for some time, and Tsunade had previously said after the Third's funeral was over, she would be finally able to talk to Sakura.

Finding the blonde alone, Sakura bowed before smiling slightly. "Hokage-sama," Sakura said in respect.

"Sakura," Tsunade said with a nod and a small smile of her own. "Just the girl I wanted to see. We should head to the tower; I have quite a few things I wished to talk with you about."

"Of course, Tsunade-sama," Sakura said with a nod and walked beside the Hokage as together, they headed towards the tower.

"One of the things I wanted to talk to you about was your training, Sakura," Tsunade said as she looked in front of her. "I know I'm Hokage now, but that still doesn't mean I won't train you. A promise is a promise, and I plan to keep my promises."

Sakura's mood began to brighten considerably; she had thought after Tsunade was inducted as the Hokage she would no longer have the time to train Sakura. It was a wonderful surprise, and it made Sakura smile.

"Also," Tsunade said as the two continued on the way to the tower. "I have received two requests: Genma and Hayate both want to be put on a team with you so they can continue your training, and begin missions with you."

At Tsunade's statement, Sakura felt her breath leave her slightly; that had been the exact reason she wanted to talk to the new Hokage. Sakura had wanted to switch teams for some time now, but she had never imagined Hayate and Genma would both accept her as easily as they had. The three had become very good friends over the course of the past month and a half.

"But then that brings up another thing I wanted to talk to you about," Tsunade said as the Hokage tower came into view. "The Third Hokage had left a message saying that he wanted the three of you to form a team no matter what; it was actually the last request he made as a Hokage."

And there went Sakura's breath again. The Third Hokage had been thinking about her before the invasion? If he were still around, she would hug him for his considerate nature. Because Tsunade was the only one there, Sakura felt it was necessary to hug her instead.

"Thank you so much Tsunade-sama," Sakura said as a full blown smile graced her features; it had been a while since she had smiled this largely. "That was the whole reason why I wanted to talk to you; I also want to be on a team with Hayate and Genma. I know I'm only a Genin, but-"

"After the Chuunin exams, Sakura, you have proven yourself well enough to be promoted to a Chuunin," Tsunade said as she held the pink haired girl in her arms. "Especially after everything that you were able to withstand in the exams, and everything you were able to do outside of the exams for your village. Today I will be able to finally tell the village what really happened a month ago, and how you were able to save Hayate."

Everything was happening so quickly, but Sakura wouldn't have had it any other way. She gripped the blonde tighter, and sighed. "Thank you so much Tsunade-sama," Sakura said.

The blonde in return gripped the pinkette tighter and smiled, "You deserve it Sakura."

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So I'm pretty sure a time skip is going to happen after this chapter. : ) hopefully it will be up soon, because I have already started to write it. Again, thank you all so much for being patient with me.


	15. Chapter 15

: ) upppppppdateeeeee : )

I hope you're all just as excited as I am! I mean, I just started to write and then it just kept flowing out. I think this is a REALLY good sign friends.

Thank you to all of the reviewers and readers! I can't believe I've gotten 12 reviews already (It's literally been five hours since I've updated last).

And yes, I went with the time skip. And if you are all wondering, Team Seven's reaction to Sakura switching teams will be revealed later and throughout the story; I promise I won't leave anyone out : )

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**Edited 7/4/12. This is the last one! And it was the smallest change of all. In the future, I hope to reread through my chapters more carefully so I will never have to do these edits again. Thank you, again for your patience. Your reward is a new chapter!**

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Xx Three Years Later xX

They assembled in the Hokage tower; it had been a while since they had been together. Naruto stood taller, and more tanned; the blonde's smile was still large, and he looked excited to be back in the village.

After the Third Hokage's death, Naruto had taken a three year long mission with Jiraiya. Though it was not really a mission, and was more for training than anything else, the blonde had grown stronger because of it, and he was more than happy to be back in Konoha.

The man that stood next to him was tall with shaggy silver hair. Kakashi had always had a certain posture to him; a lazy posture that some would mistake for disrespect. After knowing Kakashi quite well over the past four years, Tsunade knew it was all an act. The silver haired man was attentive and waiting for the reason why he had been summoned to the Hokage tower.

Next to Kakashi stood raven haired male whose height rested just below Kakashi's shoulders; this boy's name was Sai. He was supposedly Sasuke's replacement in Team Seven after Sasuke had left to search for power with Orochimaru. Sai was new to Team Seven, and Naruto knew right away he would not get along with the pale boy.

"It's great to have you back in the village Naruto," Tsunade said with a smile. The smile quickly turned stressed, however, when she continued. "But I have a mission for Team Seven right away. It seems the Kazekage of Suna, Gaara, has been captured by the Akatsuki."

"Gaara's the Kazekage now?" Naruto asked as his eyes widened in surprise. Sure he knew Gaara had become a better person, but really, had Gaara become that strong?

"That's not important Dickless," Sai muttered emotionlessly while beside Kakashi. "The Kazekage's been kidnapped."

"And his brother has been injured. Luckily I have a team already in the area of Suna, but I will also send you on this mission as well. Gear up and leave in thirty minutes; I want the Kazekage to be saved."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," the three males said with a bow. As the three left her office, Tsunade let a grin grace her features.

"If only you knew the team I already have in Suna…"

XxxX

A brunette headed male groaned in dissatisfaction. "Why the hell does it have to be so hot?"

"Stop complaining Genma," the pink haired girl grinned. "You sound like a winy baby. Hayate, why does he have to come along on our missions again?"

"Because he's our teammate," the other brunette headed male grinned as well. "Really, sometimes I think we should leave him back in Konoha."

"There you two go again!" Genma, the brunette with a senbon in his mouth, accused. "You guys always gang up on me! Hayate! Why the hell did you have to corrupt poor sweet, innocent Sakura? She used to respect me…"

Sakura snorted before kicking some sand at the whining brunette. "He didn't have to teach me anything," Sakura said as her grinned widened. "I've learned over the years that you're completely ridiculous. And your antics are equally as ridiculous."

It was silent for a while. "But they're funny right?" Genma questioned as the three continued to run through the sand dunes. "My antics?"

Hayate slammed a punch into Genma's shoulder causing the brunette to let out another loud whine. "And you've corrupted Hayate, Sakura. Why the hell do you have to be so aggressive? Your punches hurt."

Sakura let out a twinkle of laughter as she added more chakra into her legs; the past three years had been wonderful. The two men that were at her sides were the best friends she could ever have. The two had not really changed in appearance; Genma looked the same, and was even wearing the same type of clothes. Hayate, on the other hand, had changed a little more. Instead of having bags under his eyes as he had before, the skin was now free of blemishes; it attested to the sleep the male was finally getting.

Also, instead of being as pale as he had once been, Hayate's skin had tanned rather nicely. And if Sakura wanted to add something else that she had noticed, Hayate had toned up quite a bit over the past three years. Blushing slightly to herself, Sakura shook her head of her thoughts.

She would be stupid to say her sensei wasn't at least a little bit attractive; Ino had once dubbed him a "Konoha God" which was probably really good for her standards. Sakura's emerald eyes flickered to the left as she watched Hayate run a few feet in front of her.

The male now wore black shinobi pants with a deep forest green tank top. Over the tank top was a t-shirt of mesh. The mesh, Sakura thought with a sigh, really brought out the muscles in his arms.

Slapping herself in the forehead, Sakura looked straight in front of her; she couldn't have her thoughts drift now.

She and her team had gotten a messenger hawk from the Hokage after finishing up one of their missions. Tsunade-sama had said that they were needed immediately in Suna; the Kazekage had been kidnapped, and there was someone there that needed medical attention immediately.

Sending chakra into her legs, Sakura increased her pace. They were a few kilometers away from the Village, and would arrive within the hour. Tsunade had also said she was providing back up; a team that would help them in the retrieval of the Kazekage, Sakura wondered who it would be.

Grinning as she saw Suna in the distance, Sakura allowed her thoughts to wander once again, but this time her thoughts landed on her own appearance. The once twig of a girl had matured rather nicely, Sakura thought. Her whole body was much more fit, and even though she worked out like crazy, Sakura still was able to retain her womanly curves. In addition to that, she had also grown a few more inches.

She now wore a red tank top with the Haruno symbol on the back with black biker shorts. Over the black biker shorts was a tan medic-nin skirt that she had received from Tsunade. Her pink hair was left short and pixie like from before, but she had grown more into the style. Something else she had seemed to grow into was her beloved forehead.

All around, Sakura found herself happy with her appearance; she really didn't ask what others thought of her. As the group of three arrived at the Suna gate, Sakura greeted the Suna guard with a casual wave.

"We're here from Konoha," Hayate said as his voice turned serious; it was much different than the teasing tone he had used only minutes ago while talking to her and Genma. "Tsunade-sama sent us."

"Oh yes," the guard nodded with a bow. "Please follow me to the hospital. Temari-sama will be happy help has arrived."

Raising an eyebrow, Sakura knew the name Temari sounded familiar. She didn't know where she had recognized it from, though, and while the answer stayed on the tip of her tongue, Sakura followed Hayate, Genma, and the Suna guard to the hospital.

"Could you please explain to me what happened, and how the person in question was injured?" Sakura asked as she decided to ignore the Temari person's name. It would drive her crazy until she figured it out, but she didn't have time to think about it now; she had a person's life to save.

"Kankuro-sama," the guard began, "Was trying to follow after the two Akatsuki members that had captured Kazekage-sama. He was unsuccessful, and was poisoned for his efforts."

"Poisoned," Sakura mused out loud; it had been a while since she had dealt with a good poison. She hoped too much time hadn't already passed from when this Kankuro person was poisoned… Now that she thought about it, Kankuro sounded familiar too, damn it. "When did this happen?"

"Only yesterday," the guard explained while they walked up to a tan building with a red cross on the front. "That was why we were so surprised you had arrived here so quickly. We only sent out word to Hokage-sama yesterday pertaining to this issue."

"We were already in the neighborhood," Genma grinned as he stretched his arms. "But it seems like you and me won't have much work to do until Sakura's done, huh Hayate? We should go get a drink."

"As lovely as that sounds," Hayate said sarcastically, "Once Sakura is finished healing the patient we will be leaving to save the Kazekage."

"That's a relief to hear," a voice spoke as the group of four arrived in the urgent care ward. Looking ahead of her, Sakura was surprised to find she actually recognized the person before her; she knew she had recognized that name before!

"Temari-san," Sakura said with a slight grin; she really did always like being right. "Can you take me to the patient?"

"Kankuro," She said with a weak smile; it was obvious the woman was having a hard time fighting away the tears that threatened to leak out. "He's this way."

Nodding, Sakura grabbed the pony tail on her wrist and quickly tied the few strands that she could back. This was her professional mode, and nothing would get in the way of her finishing something when she was in this mode.

Following Temari quickly, they arrived at a very secluded room. Looking inside, Sakura found a pale male who was struggling with breath; he was someone she barely recognized.

"I was told that Kankuro-san was poisoned yesterday," Sakura said while walking up to the man's body. Doing a few hand signs, Sakura's hands began to glow green. She quickly placed her hands on Kankuro's chest before looking back to Temari for an answer.

"Ah, yes," Temari said with a nod as she took a step forward. "I told him it would be a stupid idea to follow behind without any back up, but he wouldn't listen. Kankuro only wanted to save Gaara; that was the only reason why he followed."

Sakura shook off the red head's name like it was nothing. She had heard of Gaara's valiant deeds from Rock Lee; it seemed the boy had changed for the better.

"Was the injection sight his chest?" Sakura asked as her eyes closed and she took in a breath. Opening her eyes quickly, Sakura didn't give Temari the chance to answer. "I need ten different large bowls of heated water; the water has to be regulated to where it stays at the same temperature. For that I'm going to need at least three nurses."

"I'll get that for you right away," Temari said while quickly walking out of the room. In no time at all, Sakura began to cleanse Kankuro's body by withdrawing the poison bit by bit.

Genma and Hayate stood in the hallway and watched Sakura work through a window.

"She's amazing," Genma said as he watched her in amazement. He loved watching Sakura heal people; it was just so damn awesome to see her do things most other people wouldn't dream of doing.

"Yeah," Hayate said a little more quietly. "She is."

It had been subtle over the years, but it had steadily grown. Whenever Hayate thought about Sakura, or watched Sakura do something amazing his stomach tinged. He was too damn old to be experiencing butterflies, but with the way his stomach felt as he watched Sakura, he couldn't really explain the sensation any other way.

Shaking his head slightly, Hayate turned back to his brunette haired friend before speaking. "Do you think we'll be able to defeat two Akatsuki members?"

"I doubt it," Genma said with a shake of his head. "But Tsunade-sama said she was also sending another team; I'm sure we'd be able to defeat one of them."

"I agree," Hayate said with a slight nod of his head. "But we haven't heard much about the Akatsuki lately. This is the first thing in years that I've heard about the organization; why do you think they're suddenly out and about again?"

Genma shrugged before turning back to the window. It appeared Sakura had just taken out the last of the poison. "We'll talk about it later," he said with a sigh. "Maybe Sakura would have a better idea."

Hayate nodded his head before following Genma into the hospital room. The two males walked to where Sakura was looking at a sample of the poison in the microscope.

"Whatcha doing?" Genma asked with a grin as he appeared an inch away from Sakura's ear. Over the years, Sakura had gotten so used to his antics; she didn't even flinch when he appeared.

"Trying to come up with an antidote," Sakura said as she adjusted the focus on the microscope. "I know we're going to face this guy again in battle; I'm going to make us a couple of antidotes so I don't have to worry about you guys getting yourselves killed if I'm not around."

"How sweet of you Sakura!" Genma said with a grin as he tickled her sides. The pinkette giggled slightly before smacking Genma in the head.

"Go bother someone else," Sakura said as she shot him a glare. "This'll take me a few hours. Once I'm done we can get going."

"We're supposed to meet up with the other team tomorrow," Hayate said with a nod as he looked over the mission scroll once again. "Genma and I can go rent a hotel for tonight."

"There will be no renting hotels," Temari said while she appeared in the room. "You'll be staying in the guest quarters in the Kazekage tower; this is the least we can do as thanks."

Grinning, Genma agreed readily, and quickly walked up to the sandy blonde with a flirtatious smile.

"I doubt Shizune would approve right now," Sakura's voice chimed just as he was about to say a line that would probably get him punched. Hayate chuckled while watching Genma's face fall.

"Why don't you just lead us to our rooms, please, Temari-san," Hayate said with a grin. "Sakura can come find us later."

Sakura quickly went back to the microscope as she heard the three ninja leave the room. Taking in a deep breath, Sakura sighed before rubbing her eyes.

This was probably one of the most potent poisons she had ever come across. It had been a while since she had such a challenge. Just as she was about to go back to researching the compound, Sakura heard shuffled footsteps in the hallway. Turning, she watched as an older woman entered the room. The woman instantly glared toward Sakura; Sakura raised her hands in mock surrender.

"Can I help you?" Sakura asked while she watched the older woman's glare intensify; if looks could kill…

"Are you an apprentice of that blasphemous Slug Princess?" The older woman's voice came out as a croak; Sakura gulped.

"Yes, I am," Sakura said with a nod. "But I am also the student of many other teachers. May I help you Obaasama?"

"Were you the one to save Kankuro-san?" the older woman seemed to snarl as she asked the question. "Of course you would be; you're her apprentice after all… well, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"…?"Sakura was utterly confused at this woman's behavior. Was she supposed to explain why she had saved Kankuro's life? "Um, I'm sorry Obaasama, but I really have to start working on an antidote for the poison that was left in Kankuro-san's body."

"Poison?" The older woman asked as she seemed to lose the breath that was in her lungs. "Let me see that!"

Sakura quickly moved out of the way while the older woman arrived at the microscope. It was obvious she was well respected; she wore formal dressings after all. After a few short minutes, Sakura watched short gray haired woman take a few steps back. The older woman breathed out, "Sasori," before looking to the pinkette.

"You are going to make an antidote?" The older woman questioned quietly.

"Yes," Sakura said with a nod. "I've already been able to pinpoint a few strands of toxins I have found before in some plants. I was hoping someone would take me to the greenhouse so I could get started with mixing the antidote."

"I will take you."

XxxX

It took a while for Sakura to pry out what Chiyo-baasama knew. The poison was created from her grandson, Sasori of the Red Sand. Sasori had disappeared from Suna years ago after it had been found out he was creating puppets from human beings.

"He's my responsibility," the older woman said while she watched Sakura finish the antidote for the poison. Like predicted, it had taken Sakura a couple hours to finish the antidote. Now, however, she had enough antidotes for her team, and the team that would be arriving tomorrow; she hoped that would be enough.

"You're going to be coming with us tomorrow, then, I presume," Sakura mused while she packed the syringes safely away in her med-pouch.

"I won't be in anyone's way," Chiyo confirmed with a nod. "And like I said, this is my responsibility."

"I don't think we'll have a problem with you going," Sakura said with a kind smile as she and Chiyo walked out of the greenhouse together. "I'm sure Kazekage-sama is going to need as much help as we can give him."

Chiyo nodded once, and before long the two females were saying their good byes. "We'll probably be leaving early tomorrow morning," Sakura warned the older woman as she began to walk away.

"I'll be ready," Chiyo said with a dismissive hand wave. Within a few minutes, Sakura had found the Kazekage tower, and flared her chakra in search of her teammates. Finding them easily, Sakura scaled the wall of the tower, and jumped through the open window.

She watched in satisfaction as Genma let out a girlish squeal as she entered.

"You couldn't be more of a baby," Hayate commented from the kitchen. It seemed the brunette was cooking dinner; Sakura's stomach practically groaned at the thought. Hayate was an exceptional cook.

"She scared me, alright?" Genma said loudly as he grabbed a pillow from the couch. Throwing it quickly, he aimed for Hayate's head. Hayate easily ducked out of the pillows trajectory and grinned in triumph.

"Do you want dinner, or no?" Hayate asked with a glare as he pointed his spatula rather threateningly toward Genma. Sakura watched the two's antics with a grin and a bubble of laughter appeared. The laughter caused the two brunettes to look at Sakura before grinning.

"You guys are both horrible," Sakura said as she landed on a seat beside Genma. She raised a slight eyebrow before looking to Genma. She whispered quietly in his ear, "Does he know he's wearing an apron?"

Genma chuckled loudly as he looked back to his friend. Hayate had a white lacey apron on. Turning towards Sakura as Hayate's eyes narrowed, Sakura fought another round of giggles.

"Please take the apron off," she said with as much seriousness as she could. Hayate looked down to the apron he was wearing, before he grinned.

"Nope," the brunette said with a smirk. "I like it. I might even take it from here."

Shaking her head at the utter idiocy of the idea, Sakura thought back to the mission. Grinning, she took two syringes from her medical pouch and handed one to Genma before turning towards Hayate.

"I made an antidote," Sakura said while she watched Genma put the syringe in his pack. "It will take a minute to fully kick in. The antidote will also only last ten minutes at most; just try not to get poisoned more than once."

"Ay ay," Genma said with a salute as he fell back on the couch. Sakura ignored him with a shake of her head before she walked to Hayate. Giving him the syringe, Sakura accidently brushed her fingers across his hand; Sakura fought a delighted shiver that threatened to go down her spine at the feeling.

"Thanks Sakura," Hayate said in a deeper voice than usual; did he see her reaction? Smiling slightly, Sakura fought the blush that threatened to show; damn hormones!

"No problem, Hayate-sensei," Sakura said as she took a couple steps backward. Whenever things got to close for her, Sakura would revert back to her earlier years and call him sensei. It broke whatever spell the two seemed to be under for those few seconds.

Walking back to her spot beside Genma, Sakura had to shake her head. There had to be something seriously wrong with her if she felt that effected after just brushing her hand against Hayate's. Maybe she needed a boyfriend, she thought with a sigh. As she looked to the two males in front of her, she had to change her thought a little bit: she needed a boyfriend who could deal with her crazy teammates.

Fighting a laugh, Sakura knew that would be nearly impossible. Sighing, she decided to take a nap on the couch. Tomorrow would come much too quickly, Sakura knew, and she should take the rest while she could get it.


	16. Chapter 16

A Chance Encounter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

: ) let the flow keep flowing : ) I am so excited to say that I am updating again! Hopefully this "flow" will continue, and the updates will continue to come out at a quick pace.

This is just a thank you to all of my readers and reviewers who have stuck with this story so far. I really couldn't do it without your input and your support.

Ohh, and thanks to the reviewers who told me Sasori was Chiyo's grandson *blushes* I might have forgotten… meh, I'll edit it when I end up going back to edit things… which is actually happening right now… SO I'm sorry if you keep getting updates on chapters I've previously posted. I am editing them for your enjoyment and to fix the mounds of plot holes I left behind.

* * *

Sakura leaned forward before stretching backwards. After turning side to side and hearing a wonderful sounding crack, Sakura sighed in bliss.

It was early, the sun had yet to rise, but Team Hayate consisted of all earlier risers, well for the most part. It would make it easier to travel through the Suna heat if they left earlier anyway. Nodding slightly, Sakura quickly threw on her clothes before walking into the living room.

She usually wasn't the first one to rise, but she also wasn't the last one to rise either. Hayate and Sakura usually were dragging Genma out of bed before too long, or Sakura would use a water jutsu if she had no patience left.

Looking over to the kitchen, Sakura watched as Hayate cooked a quick breakfast of rice and steamed salmon. The man seemed to always be cooking, and Sakura smiled at the thought. Walking into the kitchen, Sakura looked over to her teammate in question. "Do you need any help?"

She heard a slight snort in response. "Sakura," Hayate said with a sarcastic grin. "I can teach you almost anything. However, no matter how many times I try, I can't teach you how to improve your cooking skills."

Sakura fought a grin, and instead settled for a look of mock anger; she knew she was helpless in the kitchen, that didn't mean she wasn't ready to try, though. Giving the brunette a slight pout, she grinned in victory when she heard his groan.

"Fine," the man muttered as he turned back to the fish. "You can make the tea."

"Thank you Hayate," Sakura chirped happily while grabbing the tea kettle. She quickly filled the kettle with water before placing it on the stove top.

Walking over to the cabinet, Sakura started to sift through the tea packets. "What kind of tea do you want?" She questioned without turning around. After a few moments, she heard steps, and her whole body froze when she felt a warm male body stop right behind her.

He wasn't close enough to touch her, but she could still feel the heat that emitted from his body. Sakura's eyes closed as she felt Hayate reach around her, and grab a few packets; his right arm casually brushing her's in the process.

"Hmm," Hayate commented as he let out a deep breath of air; the air was warm as it connected with the back of Sakura's neck. Sakura stopped a shiver from escaping her; what the hell was wrong with her? "Chamomile sounds good to me."

Nodding quickly, Sakura grabbed the rest of the tea packets and felt Hayate leave from his spot behind her. She missed the feeling of warmth his body had provided her, but shaking her head slightly, she turned to grab a few tea cups.

Really, these hormones were killing her. It was strange, and had slowly begun to increase over the years. Her hormones didn't react to the other brunette in the group, though, and she didn't understand it at all. It seemed her hormones only acted out when she was near Hayate. Sighing, Sakura grabbed three tea cups and placed a tea packet in each. She put one chamomile, one red, and one blueberry. She knew Genma would never drink tea if it didn't taste at least a little bit sweet; the man was a baby.

Thinking back to the brunette headed male, Sakura knew she would need to wake him up soon. Looking back to Hayate, she quickly left the kitchen without saying a word.

Slowly but surely, Sakura arrived at Genma's bedroom door. Without knocking, the pinkette slipped through the doorway and quickly made her way towards the brunette's bed. Cracking a grin, Sakura felt like it was time to wake Genma up, and she really didn't want to do it in a pleasant way.

Grinning larger, Sakura did a few hand signs before she muttered, "Water Gunshot." A water bullet appeared out of her mouth and headed straight towards Genma's head. As it connected, Sakura quickly escaped out of Genma's room with a laugh.

Of course, she would never do something to harm her teammates. The water bullet had next to no chakra inside, and was pretty much the size of an apricot. It was just so amusing to see Genma react to the water jutsu she used.

Hearing a loud yell of protest from the teammate she left in the bedroom, Sakura's laugh increased. She picked up her pace until she was standing in the kitchen beside Hayate once again.

The brunette appeared to be fighting a grin of his own, while he took the rice and the salmon off of the stove top.

"You really shouldn't tease him, Sakura," Hayate warned with a grin as also took the tea off of the stove. Sakura looked gratefully back towards him before grabbing the tea cups and walking over to the table.

Within a few minutes, Genma came out of his room looking quite like a wet dog. Sakura let out a loud laugh before she could stop herself; Genma sent a glare towards the pinkette.

"Why can't you just wake me up a normal way?" Genma asked in exasperation as he sat at the table beside her.

"It wouldn't be any fun that way," Sakura said with a grin as she began to pour the tea. After the tea was poured, everyone got a helping of rice and fish. "And you wouldn't wake up if I tried a normal way either."

"Yar yar," Genma said with a shake of his hand as he reached for some chopsticks. Finding some, he quickly began to eat the breakfast that was provided. After taking a few bites, Genma sighed. "I see you didn't let Sakura help with breakfast; good job Hayate."

Sakura began to sputter as she pointed an accusing finger towards both brunettes. "I'm really not that bad!"

"I already feel sorry for your husband and family you're going to have one day," Genma chuckled with a grin.

"I'll be able to cook by then," Sakura accused as she took another bite of rice. "Or, I could just have my dear husband cook for me."

Hayate and Genma both chuckled as they continued to eat their breakfast. After a few minutes, the group of three had finished eating, and Sakura quickly headed to her bedroom to pack for their journey. As she was gone, the two brunettes got to talking.

"You look like a wet dog, you know," Hayate said while trying to fight off a grin. He quickly collected the plates before putting them in the sink.

"Meh," Genma said with a grin of his own. "What did I miss this morning?"

"What do you mean?" Hayate questioned while he quickly started to wash the dishes. The group of three would leave soon, and Hayate didn't want to leave a mess for anyone else to clean up. Looking back to Genma, Hayate's eyebrow rose.

"Weeeell," Genma started matter-o-factly as he grabbed a dish towel, "You and Sakura were awfully quiet at breakfast; did something happen earlier? Something that I would completely approve of?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hayate said dismissively. Within moments, he had washed all the plates and pans he had used. Turning away from the sink, Hayate quickly walked to his own room to get ready and pack.

Shrugging, Genma walked to his own room. He would let the issue sit for now, but he knew Sakura and Hayate had feelings for each other. It was obvious that the two were being stubborn, or were just too stupid to realize their feelings. Grinning, Genma knew he would help the two come together in due time; Kami knew they both needed someone.

Grabbing everything he came to Suna with, Genma quickly turned to the pinkette that stood in the living room. "Is that old bat really going to come with us?"

Sakura sent a threatening glare towards said male. "Yes," Sakura said. "And don't call her an old bat; she's a retired member of the Suna Counsel. And it's her grandson that kidnapped the Kazekage and poisoned Kankuro-san; she feels responsible."

"Well then she should smile at us and send us on our way," Genma grumbled as he watched Hayate finish pack. "We don't need to be worrying about an old grandma."

"Then don't," Sakura said as her glare intensified; sometimes she was just fed up with Genma's attitude. "She'll be my responsibility; you don't even know what she can do anyway."

"Do you?" Genma asked with a slight smirk; he loved getting Sakura worked up. Before Sakura could answer, that she in fact did not know what Chiyo-baasama "did" Hayate came out of his room.

"Stop fighting," the brunette said with a sigh. "You're acting just like children. We have a mission today, and we need everyone on high alert. The extra help Chiyo-sama could provide will be welcome. Now come; we have set a meeting place with other team from Konoha. We need to leave here within the hour."

"Sure Dad," Genma said with a grumble was he grabbed his pack.

"I don't even want to hear it," Hayate warned with a slight glare. He could feel a headache coming on; when Genma was in a particular argumentative mood he would always leave his brunette headed best friend with a headache.

And with that said, a group of cranky team Hayate members left their room in the Kazekage tower and headed toward the main gate.

XxxX

Team Seven was racing through the trees with Naruto leading the charge. The group of three males were supposed to meet up with the other team any minute now; they were only a few yards away from the meeting place.

Landing with a loud whoop, Naruto stood straight while looking back to Kakashi. The silver haired male practically glowered at Naruto before Sai interrupted.

"You're too loud Dickless," Sai said nonchalantly. "If an enemy were in the area then-"

A senbon needle was flung towards the raven haired male before anything else was said. Sai flipped backward away from the needle, and quickly grabbed a scroll and paint brush.

"Just wanted to make sure you were paying attention," Genma said with a grin as he appeared in the clearing. Behind him, Hayate quickly followed; the second brunette was rubbing his forehead in a sad attempt to stop the ache his head was starting to feel.

"What if you had really hurt him Genma?" The pinkette questioned as she leaped through the trees. She landed beside Genma and effectively punched him in the back of the head. "I don't have an endless amount of chakra! I can't heal every stupid injury you cause."

"Sakura-Chan?" Naruto's voice was in question.

The pinkette seemed to freeze for a moment before she turned to the group of males that stood before her. She had not been expecting Team Seven; when had Naruto gotten back from his training?

Before Sakura could really acknowledge the two males from her previous team, the fourth member of her team came through the bushes. Chiyo looked better than Sakura would have given her credit for, but Sakura should have known better. Chiyo used to be a battle hardened shinobi.

The older woman looked at the group of three males that stood before her, and her eyes glared towards the silver haired man right away.

"You're that blasted White Fang," Chiyo accused with a glare. Kakashi sighed before shaking his head and turning towards Sakura.

"It's… good to see you Sakura," Kakashi said with a slight tilt of his head. That's right; Sakura hadn't seen Kakashi in years. After being placed onto Hayate and Genma's team, Sakura hadn't seen any members of Team Seven; they hadn't even attended the Chuunin induction ceremony held in her and Shikamaru's honor.

She didn't know how they felt about her switch from one team to the other; she was almost too afraid to ask them. And after Sasuke left Konoha… she didn't have the heart or the courage to talk to Naruto after that. And only a few days after Sasuke left, Naruto left, so even if she had built up the courage, her chance of talking to the blonde was over.

She didn't feel like it was her fault Team Seven broke up; she was just the start of it. She knew even if she had stayed with the group of three guys, Sasuke and Naruto would have still left anyway. Changing teams had been one of the best decisions she had ever made; she was able to leave them before they left her.

Taking a step forward, Sakura let a small smile grace her features. "It's nice to see you guys, too," Sakura said awkwardly; really, this situation was soo awkward… she bet Genma was getting a kick out of seeing her squirm.

Just as she was about to speak again, she felt a sudden blast of chakra. Looking to her two teammates, she knew there would be no more time to talk. "Let's go," Hayate said with a nod as the group of three shot off towards the chakra blast.

"There are two chakras; both are very powerful," Sakura commented while she flared her chakra. With her perfect chakra control, she had gotten even better at sensing other chakra signatures. Turning towards Hayate, she questioned, "Akatsuki?"

"Yes," Hayate affirmed with a nod. "We'll probably have to break them up, huh Kakashi?"

"That would be a good idea," the silver haired man nodded. As the group of seven people arrived in a new clearing, Sakura held her breath. "It seems we were a little too close to where they were keeping the Kazekage."

Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigake stood in the clearing, and both males looked completely menacing. Sakura thought it was probably difficult to not look menacing though, seeing as they were S-Class criminals.

"Sasori is not with them," Chiyo stated while she tried to keep up with the shinobi.

"That means Gaara's not with them," Naruto said with a snarl. Just as he was about to launch at the two members, Kakashi held Naruto back by his jacket.

"That's exactly what they're expecting us to do," Kakashi said in a chastising manner as he looked to the blonde. "Well, that's what they're expecting you to do."

Genma snorted before looking to the blue skinned man; after nodding towards Hayate, he drew a few senbon needles.

"We'll take the blue fish," Genma said with a grin. "But that's only if you can take on red eyes over there."

"Not a problem," Kakashi said as he removed his hiate. Looking to the blonde on his teammate, Kakashi quickly added, "I'm going to need your back up on this one Naruto and Sai; I won't be able to handle this one alone."

"Kakashi Hatake," Itachi's voice could be heard over the clearing. "Naruto-kun, how good to see you again."

"Hm," the blue skinned man beside Itachi said; his dark beady eyes were scanning the rest of the Konoha shinobi, and the one Suna shinobi. "I wonder who the rest of the pesky bunch is. I don't recognize any of them."

"That'll be your mistake," Genma cracked a grin as he sent a senbon needle towards Kisame. Kisame flipped backwards as he dodged the senbon effortlessly. The blue skinned man cracked a large shark-like grin as he nodded towards Itachi.

"I'll take this group," he said to the raven haired male as he started to sprint away from the area. Sakura looked ahead as her team followed behind; she knew that fighting so closely to each other would hamper them greatly. She also knew that the Akatsuki members were more than likely trying to deter them from their real goal.

"You're going to try to waste time and steer us away from the Kazekage's path aren't you?" Sakura questioned once the blue skinned man stopped. Kisame grinned while looking to the pinkette.

"Well aren't you the smart one, girl," Kisame said while flashing his shark teeth. He looked her up and down. "What's your name? I like to know my victims' names before I kill them."

At his confidence, Sakura fought a grin; the man before them might have been an Akatsuki member, but her team had a lot of tricks up their sleeves. "If you get me in a situation where you're about to kill me, then I'll tell you," Sakura commented back with a grin; she could already see how Hayate tensed as she continued to tease the Akatsuki member.

She had a reason for teasing the man, though. She was trying to get information out of him; getting under his skin and making him feel comfortable would probably increase the possibility of him letting some information slip.

She watched Genma; it was obvious he knew what she was trying to do. Nodding his head in agreement, Sakura looked back to the blue skinned man; his grin had widened.

"You've got spunk," Kisame said with a grin as he took the sword out from behind his back. "Samehada loves to rip apart spunk."

Hayate quickly brought out his sword before Sakura could even think of responding. Looking to his left, he could see Genma drawing out a few senbon.

"I doubt we have much time," Hayate said looking to the two other members of his group. "If you get the chance, Sakura, try to find some leads on where they are hiding the Kazekage… Genma and I will handle this guy… go back to the previous battle and take Chiyo and one of Team Seven with you."

Shaking her head slowly, she looked back to Hayate with a grin. "We're in this together," Sakura said. "Whether you like it or not. Let's just try to finish this quickly; I don't want to waste any more time here than necessary."


	17. Chapter 17

A Chance Encounter 17

Well good news friends! I went to Deviantart . com and was able to get the artist JenZee's permission to use her picture as the main picture for my story. Of course, it's a picture of Hayate : )

Thank you to all the wonderful reviews, alerts, and favorites this story has gotten so far! You all rock my world.

…Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I HAVE NO LIFE. Literally. It sucks. I'll try to update quicker next time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

Sakura gripped her kunai as she looked to the blue skinned man in front of her. Every single Akatsuki member had a weakness, though, not many knew what their weaknesses were. Of course, Sakura didn't know what Kisame's weakness was, but that didn't mean she couldn't study him, and inspect him with her chakra.

Flaring her chakra slightly, Sakura explored the blue man's chakra signature for an abnormality. Raising an eyebrow, she was surprised to feel one.

"Hayate," Sakura called as she watched her team leader leap away from Kisame. The two were in the middle of a sword fight; Kisame's sword being a lot more vicious than Hayate's own. She watched as her brown haired teammate nodded, but did not look away from his opponent; this told Sakura he was both ready to listen, but still involved in the fight. "There's something wrong with his chakra… I've heard stories that his chakra is the size of one of the tailed beasts, but this chakra is about a tenth of that size…"

Sakura watched as her teammate raised an eyebrow, but she lost her chance to watch her teammate as a blue blur came towards her. Ducking out of the tree she was in, she barely missed being hit with Kisame's sword as she landed on the ground.

Rolling, she dodged another swipe of the blue man's sword.

"Pesky little brat," Kisame muttered as he launched another attack towards Sakura. Bringing chakra into her fist, Sakura slammed a fist on the ground; the ground shook in response. Sakura watched as Kisame leaped backwards in an attempt to escape the large crevice that opened up because of Sakura's punch.

Over years of practice, Sakura was able to control her chakra enough to make the fissures to be the exact size she wanted them. Looking to the left, she watched as Hayate, Genma, and Chiyo felt only a mild shake from the punch.

Standing quickly, Sakura leaped over to her teammates and stood beside them. "What do you think that means, Sakura?" Genma asked as he flicked the senbon needle around in his mouth. Their Akatsuki opponent was standing at least ten yards away; the man appeared to be staring at the pink haired girl of their group in silent awe.

"I have no idea," Sakura said with a dismissive head shake. "But there must be something else he is keeping his chakra for, or something else he used his chakra up on."

"Hmm," Chiyo said with a slight turn of her head. "I thought they would be doing this. The Akatsuki is absorbing the tailed beasts: Kazekage-sama has the first tailed beast within his body."

"They're… absorbing the tailed beasts?" Sakura asked in question; that would certainly explain why Kisame would have less than his full amount of chakra, but there was something about his chakra that was so… wrong. "The chakra in his system; I don't know how to explain it, but there's something more wrong with it than just being not there. The chakra within Kisame's body doesn't match the blood thirsty chakra of an S-class nin. It's like he's not in the right body, does that make sense?"

"Enough talking!" Kisame said as he quickly brought his hands together. It seemed he was doing hand signs; Sakura immediately jumped to the trees along with the other three members of her make-shift team.

"Water release: Exploding water Colliding Wave," Kisame yelled as water began to blow out of his mouth.

Knowing the trees wouldn't be enough to protect them, Sakura and Genma's hands began to do hand signs in rapid succession.

"Earth Release: Earth style wall," Genma and Sakura muttered simultaneously as the water shot towards them. Two rock walls exploded out of the ground just as the water came close enough to collide with them. The rock wall did not stop the water from hitting them; it did end up slowing the current down though, and did throw Kisame off balance.

Sakura felt the wave of water slam into her body first. The water carried her along the way for a while and eventually dragged her down. Closing her mouth towards the offending liquid, Sakura quickly tried to swim to the top of the newly made lake. Her chakra infused punches weren't going to do much to the ground anymore; hopefully she could get close enough to land a punch on his body.

Finally reaching the top, Sakura used her chakra to drag herself on top of the water. Looking around, she was happy to see Genma and Chiyo standing beside her. "Where's Hayate?" She asked Genma a little breathlessly. Genma raised his eyebrow, but looked around. Frowning, he shook his head.

"I don't know," he said as his frown worsened. "I'm going back down to look; hold on."

But just as Genma was about to go under, bubbles began to sneak to the top of the lake. Not knowing if she wanted to trust the bubbles that were being made, Sakura quickly grabbed Chiyo's and Genma's hands. Taking a leap towards the right, Sakura was surprised to find a shark appear in the place they were just standing. Frowning, Sakura and the other two found a place on a nearby tree branch.

"It's a jutsu," they heard Hayate say as he appeared behind them. The brunette was covered from head to toe with water, and if Sakura hadn't been currently so caught up in the battle, she would have blushed at the sight of him.

"We're in the disadvantage here," Genma said while he looked around the lake. "There has to be a way to get rid of this water."

"… I could try to drain it," Sakura said with a slight frown as she tried to calculate their options.

"I don't know how safe that would be," Hayate commented with a frown of his own. "The shark you just saw was a jutsu Kisame created. The shark was almost too fast to escape from. I'm assuming Kisame's speed is also going to increase because of the water."

"A diversion then?" Genma asked as he brought a hand to rest on his chin. "Hayate and I could try and create a diversion on one side of the lake, and you could go to the other end."

"It could work," Sakura said with a nod. Sighing, she looked over to Chiyo before speaking. "Can you be my back up just in case something happens?"

"Of course," Chiyo said with a snarky grunt. "I can pull my own weight."

"I never had any doubt," Sakura replied with a grin as she started to head south. Looking behind her, Sakura waved before Hayate and Genma started to head in the other direction. She felt rather than heard Chiyo follow her; she really did believe in the older woman.

"I think this is as good of spot as any," Sakura mused as she stopped on a branch. Fanning out her chakra, Sakura was at least a little satisfied when she felt no enemy type of chakra.

"So you're just going to swim down there?" Chiyo asked as she too landed on the branch. Looking down, Sakura sighed before nodding. "Well here, at least let me put a chakra string on your wrist. If anything happens pull that string, and I will try to pull you up as quickly as these old bones will let me."

Nodding, Sakura looked to the blue string of chakra Chiyo created and held out her wrist. She watched as Chiyo attached it easily to her skin, and Sakura gave a smile before diving into the water.

She had always liked water, but now, as she swam down into the lake Sakura's like of the element slowly began to decrease. As she kicked her legs and slowly progressed downward, the light from the sun also decreased. It was becoming darker and darker, and Sakura didn't know how much farther she had to go until she reached the bottom.

Sighing slightly, Sakura kicked her legs a little harder, and that was when she felt it. Something was raging towards her, and Sakura wasn't quite sure what it was. She knew it wasn't Kisame; the blue skinned man's chakra was different from the one that was racing toward her.

Frowning, Sakura's speed increased. She added chakra to her legs and kicked further. Just as she was about to reach the bottom, something large crashed into her.

Letting out a gasp of pain, Sakura quickly tried to shut her mouth to prevent the loss of oxygen from lungs. Bringing one hand to the side that the large object had crashed against, Sakura's hand began to glow green. The green chakra lit up the small area, and Sakura was able to see the thing that had crashed into her.

It appeared Kisame had created or summoned a few water sharks. The one before her was quickly circling her, and was at least twice the size of her. Bringing her hand away from her side, Sakura kept her chakra glowing at a steady rate. She needed to see this shark if she had any chance in kicking its ass.

But before she could deal with the shark, Sakura knew she had to do something about the water. Genma and Hayate probably had their hands full with Kisame… the blue skinned man didn't need more of an advantage against her team.

Looking away from the shark, Sakura noticed she was only ten feet away from the bottom of the lake. Grinning slightly, Sakura looked back to the shark. Using the hand that was lit up with chakra, Sakura made a "come here" motion. That seemed to set off the shark, and it came spiraling towards her.

Sakura would have laughed if she had enough oxygen. Just as the shark was a few feet away from her, Sakura swam downward; she was currently in an upside down position. Just as the shark reached where she had just been, Sakura added chakra to her feet. They both began glowing blue, and she tucked her knees in before quickly kicking them upward. And of course, Sakura's plan worked.

Sakura was sent downward going at a decent speed just as the shark was sent flying upwards towards the surface. Bringing chakra to her fist, blue chakra began to glow as opposed to the green chakra that had disappeared. Slamming her fist forward, Sakura's fist connected with the ground, and the reaction was instantaneous.

The ground quivered below her, and soon a long hole had been created. The hole went down, down, down and the water slowly began to drain out. It wasn't quick enough for Sakura, as she finally reached her limit. She needed oxygen, and she needed it quickly. Pulling down on the chakra string, Sakura let out a sigh as she was quickly pulled upward.

XxxX

After seeing Sakura wave, Genma and Hayate quickly raced forward towards their target. Hayate frowned as he felt the odd chakra of their target within the area. It was obvious the blue skinned man was going to be hiding under the water; that created a huge disadvantage for him and Genma.

But, Hayate thought as he brought his hands together, nothing in life was easy, and none of the missions he had ever been on had been easy. Hayate knew that he had to find a way to finish the Akatsuki member in front of him so they could save the Kazekage.

"Wind Release: Wind cutter jutsu!" Bringing out his sword, Hayate made a slashing motion towards the water and a large gust of wind short forward. The wind cutter shot through the water, and the water spurted up on both sides. As it wind went further, Hayate grinned at spotting the blue skinned man from below.

"He's down there," Genma whistled with a nod as he threw a few senbon at the elusive male. He knew the senbon needles wouldn't be enough to hurt him, he knew they probably weren't even enough to touch him. He was just trying to distract him while Sakura worked her magic.

Hayate gripped his sword and sent another wind cutter to where he felt Kisame's chakra. He would try to give Sakura as much time as he could, and then he and Genma would find a way to defeat the Akatsuki member.

As he felt for the blue man's chakra, he too felt the fluctuation Sakura had talked about earlier. He was nowhere near as good at detecting or scanning chakra as Sakura was, but he was more than adequate. Kisame's chakra was not that of a normal person… and like Sakura said it did feel like Kisame was invading another person's body.

Something wasn't right here, Hayate thought as he sent another blast of air towards the chakra signature. They were delaying them, but that was it. If what Chiyo-sama said was true, then they should be sucking the tailed beast out of the Kazekage at this moment. That would take a lot of time, and a lot of chakra.

Maybe the blue skinned man was drained on chakra, and that was why his chakra was so strange, but then again Hayate doubted that. If the Kazekage had already been drained of the one tail, then there would be no need for the two teams to be distracted.

He was stilling being drained, which meant that he was still alive. Taking in a deep breath, Hayate was about to send another gust of wind from his sword when he stopped. Looking down to the water, he noticed that the water pulsed several times before it began to decrease in its size. It seemed Sakura had done her part; the water was slowly being drained.

Now was the time to act, Hayate thought as he watched the water slowly disappear from below him. Sheathing his sword, Hayate began to do rapid hand signs. At the first sign of the blue skinned man, his hands began to move in a specific motion. "Wind release: violent tornado jutsu!"

As Hayate's last word came from his mouth a small tornado began to form. It was small at first, but steadily got bigger as it went closer and closer to its target.

Kisame stood slightly bewildered as he watched his water slink away from him. Quickly, his attention was drawn to the large tornado that came flying toward him, and he quickly tried to dodge it.

Genma grinned and quickly began to make hand signs. "Earth Release: earth pillar jutsu." As Kisame went left, a large rock pillar went right and sent Kisame flying back in the direction he had come from.

The tornado arrived just as Kisame's body did, and Hayate and Genma both felt a wave of satisfaction go through them as they watched the blue skinned man be catapulted in a different direction.

"Stop grinning like fools," Sakura said with a shake of her head as she appeared next to them. "That man is an Akatsuki member; there is no way that would be enough to defeat him."

Chiyo grunted her agreement as she leaped through the trees and arrived beside Sakura.

"Come on Sakura-Chan," Genma said with a grin. "You have to admit that the combination we did was pretty cool."

In response, Sakura smacked Genma in the back of the head and started to head towards where she knew Kisame's body had landed. Hayate and Chiyo flanked her sides and Genma followed her hot on her heals; the latter had a sour look on his face.

Picking up speed, Sakura landed on a branch next to what looked to be the impact sight. As Sakura had predicted, Kisame was nowhere in sight.

"Sakura?"

Nodding quickly, Sakura closed her eyes and concentrated her chakra. Flaring it lightly, she was able to cover a large amount of distance. Opening her eyes, her mouth opened and she began to speak quickly. "He's right-"

Kisame had attacked them from above, which was something Sakura would have not expected. Grabbing Chiyo's hand swiftly, Sakura dipped low and dropped to the forest floor. She knew Hayate and Genma would be able to take care of themselves, and she knew Chiyo would be able to take care of herself; it was just instinct that she had pulled the old woman down with her.

Looking back up to the branch, Sakura almost grimaced at the carnage one sword caused. Looking to her teammates, she frowned when she noticed Genma bleeding from his left shoulder.

"Not quite quick enough I'm afraid," Genma shrugged with a sigh as he landed beside her. Looking to her team leader, she watched as he did his dance of the crescent moon. Kisame easily dodged the attack and sent Hayate flying backwards. Hayate got up quickly and went on the offense again.

This was taking too much time, Sakura thought as she began to heal Genma's shoulder. If they had any chance of saving the Kazekage, they needed to end this now.

Bringing her hands together, Sakura made a clone of herself. Looking to the clone, she nodded for a second and then the two launched themselves forward.

Sakura knew using water techniques would be utterly useless, so she decided to try something else. When she landed a few branches above Hayate and Kisame she grinned before doing hand signs; her clone mimicked her actions.

"Earth Release: Rock pillar," Sakura said quietly as she and her clone completed the hand signs. Twin sharp rock pillars leaped out from the earth at Kisame; it seemed the male had no idea she had even sent a jutsu towards him.

Dismissing her clone, she quickly did a few more hand signs. "Earth release: rock staff." The rock staff that poofed into her hands was the shape of a spear. Just as the pillars reached their target, Sakura sent the large spear flying towards the blue man's head.

Just as the spear was about to connect, an orange blur came out of the trees.

"Rasengan!" the orange blur yelled as the large ball of wind connected with the blue skinned man's torso. Sakura gritted her teeth as she watched Naruto send Kisame flying. Her spear landed sharply with a thunk into a tree that had been behind Kisame; it would have possibly decapitated him.

Ignoring the blonde as he smiled towards her, Sakura looked to the rest of her team. "Let's go," she muttered as she began to leap through the forest.

"Shouldn't we make sure he's dead?" Genma asked with a small frown; he knew Sakura would be upset about the blonde taking over her kill, but that didn't mean they could slink on their duties.

"Let the one who killed him do that," Sakura said with a no nonsense tone. Hayate and Genma both winced at her tone: Sakura was angry, and the two of them found that they did not like to make their pink haired teammate angry. All hell broke loose when that happened, and one or both of them usually ended up with a bruised head.


	18. Chapter 18

A Chance Encounter: Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Sorry I haven't updated lately, I've been kind of busy with life and stuff. I hope I can update more frequently; I'll try, I promise.

Hope you all enjoy this chapter; Sakura's a bad ass : ).

* * *

Sakura sighed as she increased her pace. So maybe she had been a little harsh back there, but she had a good reason to be. Naruto had always wanted to save Sakura, and back when they were on a genin team she did need saving; now she didn't. She resented how weak she used to be... Seeing Naruto take her kill and ignore her skills reminded her of her weak days as a genin. She never wanted to relieve those years again.

She wanted to show off her new skills that she had learned; she wanted Naruto to watch her back in awe for a change…

Looking to Genma, Sakura winced before she slowed down, "Genma how's your shoulder feeling?"

"It's my head you should be more worried about," Genma said with a pout as he patted his head lightly. "You certainly hit it enough."

"Stop pouting," Hayate said as he leaped ahead to run beside Sakura; the brunette's hair was still wet from the previous battle, and Sakura had a hard time concentrating on what Hayate was actually saying. "I think we're getting closer."

"We are," Sakura said as she shook her head slightly. Taking a deep breath, Sakura concentrated her chakra. She could feel a large barrier a mile or so ahead. "Do you think we have to worry about traps?"

"It's the barrier I'm more concerned about," Hayate said as the group of four landed in front of a large cave. The front of the cave was covered by a large boulder; Sakura cracked her knuckles just looking at the boulder. "There's at least one seal protecting this right? How many do you think there are?"

Sakura's eyes were closed and she took a deep breath inward before letting it escape. "There's one above the cave, one on the tree two kilometers back, one below the water..."

Team Kakashi appeared while Sakura continued to rattle off the locations of the seals.

"Where's Gaara!?" Naruto let out an enraged snarl; he could sense his friend was close. Deciding to ignore the blonde, Sakura continued to list off the last remaining seal.

"And one on top of the boulder." Sakura finished as she looked to her team. She knew the four of them alone would not be enough; they would need help from the three other members of team Kakashi. Looking to the silver haired male, she asked, "Did you get that Kakashi?"

It was weird to call him by just his name, but he wasn't her sensei anymore, so she refused to call him as such. She watched as the silver haired man nodded his head.

"Sai, you get the one below the water," Kakashi said while looking to the raven haired boy.

"Understood," the raven haired male said with little emotion. Sakura tilted her head slightly while watching the pale raven haired boy… there was something off about him, she thought.

"I'll get the one in the forest," Hayate said with a nod to the group. "Genma you get the one above the cave. I'm assuming we'll have to take them off at the same time."

"I'll get the one on the boulder. Naruto, can you crush the thing-"

"I'll take care of the boulder once you remove the seal," Sakura said with a stern look. She needed to show them that she was strong...

"Alright," Kakashi said with a nod. He actually did want to see what she could do. It had been at least a year since he had last seen her, and he had assumed that working with Hayate and Genma had improved her skills greatly. "Places!"

Within minutes the ninja were at their designated locations, and Sakura stood ready. There was a count down from three, and at one the four males peeled off the seals at the same time.

When the seal on the boulder had been taken off Sakura launched herself forward. Her pink hair tangled behind her as she slammed her fist against the gigantic boulder. The hard stone felt good against her small knuckles, and with the thought that her old teammates were probably watching her, she put an added amount of chakra into the punch.

The boulder exploded as Sakura flipped backwards and dodged the debris that flew in the wake of her punch. The wind blowing through her hair as flew back was exciting, and she knew even without looking at the blonde that he was staring at her in silent awe.

Landing next to Chiyo and Naruto, Sakura waited until she heard the go ahead from the team leader Kakashi. She was actually surprised Hayate and Genma weren't back already.

Kakashi landed beside Naruto just as the debris fell to the ground. Smoke was left in its wake, but that didn't stop Kakashi from nodding for the go ahead, and she followed his lead.

If Hayate and Genma weren't back yet, then there must have been some complication with the seals; Sakura also noted that the other member of team seven had not yet returned.

As the group of four entered the cave, Sakura held her breath as she stood in the presence of two Akatsuki members. One was short and stocky; there was something mechanical about his movements, even though the only thing moving was a scorpion like tail on his back side. Sakura automatically assumed this was the one that developed the poison she had just cured Kankuro of.

The other Akatsuki member sat on top of the Kazekage's body… said body wasn't moving, and Sakura could tell his soul had left; Gaara was dead.

"It was about time you showed up," the one with the scorpion-like tail spoke first; as he spoke the blonde rose from his previous position. "I was beginning to grow bored."

"Gaara!" Naruto yelled as he spotted the red head. "This isn't the time to be sleeping! WAKE UP!

"Naruto… he's not-"

"He's not going to be waking up," the blonde Akatsuki member said with a savage grin.

"GIVE HIM BACK!" Naruto roared as his eyes began to glow an eerie red. Sakura almost froze at the power she felt from Naruto, and then she remembered a tailed beast rested inside of him. As he took a step forward, probably to attack the two Akatsuki members, Sakura knew that someone who have to restrain him.

Before Sakura could jump forward, Kakashi was already standing in front of the blonde. "Naruto," Kakashi said while never once taking his eyes off the Akatsuki members that stood before them. "You need to calm down; make a plan. Those two probably want you to attack them head on. We need to think clearly."

"Danna," the blonde one spoke quietly. Sakura watched the two interact; it was obvious they had been partners for some time. "I know you're going to be mad, but I want to be the one to take down that brat."

"There is a limit of one beast per member," the smaller one spoke; his voice was dark, and raspy, and Sakura noticed that whenever he spoke, Chiyo would freeze up beside her; so this one was her grandson. It would seem they would be the two most probable to team up together and fight him.

"I know Danna," the blonde said again. "But I know they Kyuubi is supposed to be very strong, and with my art there is no way I can lose."

"I don't know why you continue to talk about your art the way you do-"

"Cut the shit," Naruto yelled as he glared at the two Akatsuki members. The two members stopped and looked to Naruto.

"It seems I should take my leave, huh Danna?" the blonde said with a grin as he called forth a large white bird. The bird had been standing in the background since the group of four had entered, and Sakura herself didn't notice it until the blonde had called to it. The bird swooped down and picked up Gaara in his mouth before the blonde jumped on to its back.

"Do not make me angry Deidara," Sasori said while watching the blonde fly away. As soon as the bird had left the cave, Naruto was already chasing after it; Kakashi was hot on his heels.

It's nice to know he's worried about me, Sakura said mentally as she looked to the only remaining Akatsuki member in the cave. She knew she should wait until Genma and Hayate return, but she didn't think the male before her would wait that long.

"How do you think we should approach this, Chiyo-sama?" Sakura asked while taking a protective stance in front of the older woman. Sakura was slowly drawing chakra into her fists as she watched Sasori stand a few yards away from them.

"That is not his regular body, Sakura," the old woman stated. "That is just a puppet. We will have to first have to take care of this puppet before we can get to its master."

"Understood," Sakura said as she launched forward. Looking to the puppet, she knew the tail would probably give her problems; though she also knew that Kankuro's puppets always seemed to have some type of weapon hidden on its body. She would just have to watch how quickly the puppet carefully, and would have to be aware of any rapid movements.

Bringing a fist down a few feet in front of the puppet, Sakura watched in satisfaction as the puppet lost balance, and quickly, she tried to capitalize on that.

Side stepping a swipe of the puppet's tail, Sakura leaped towards the back of the puppet. Just as she grazed the puppet's harden shell, the tail did another quick sweep, and Sakura had to flip backwards to escape the strike.

The tail moved faster that she would have expected, and it was almost like it could bend to the will of the user.

She kept flipping backward until she landed beside Chiyo. Looking to her elder, Sakura quickly thought out loud. "There has to be a weak point in the puppet," Sakura said as she let out a breath. "When I grazed the back, I could tell he was using a type of chakra to keep his puppet together. Does that mean he is using his chakra to protect the puppet?"

Sakura's mind kept going as she thought out why Sasori would need to have the hardened shell to protect his puppet. "Why would he need to protect it? Of course he could not want us to break it, but I think there's more to that. Do you think he's hiding inside of it?"

"You're a smart one, girl," Sasori spoke as the puppet kneeled on all fours. "How would you like to be one of my puppets? You and my Granny will make 300."

"His puppet has increased in strength since the last time I have seen it," Chiyo commented from beside Sakura. "I don't know all the traps he has hidden inside the puppet, but I know a great deal."

"I should be concerned about poison, correct?" Sakura asked as she pressed the antidote against her med pack. It was a good thing she had made them… She was sure Chiyo-sama and her would need them.

Chiyo nodded back quickly, and Sakura sighed. Bringing chakra back into her fists Sakura once again ran forward. Just as she was about to reach the puppet, the puppet's right hand extended and senbon needles began to fly everywhere.

"Sakura look out!"

XxxX

Hayate had peeled off the seal at the right time, but there was something strange that had occurred afterward. A copy of himself had appeared from a tree near the seal; it had to be a jutsu that occurred when he peeled off the seal.

It was a little unsettling, seeing an exact copy of himself; Hayate wondered if the other two who had peeled off the seal were dealing with the same thing as he himself was dealing with.

Grabbing his sword, Hayate's eyes widened slightly when his clone mimicked his stance… so this clone would do what he would do?

Bringing his sword forward, he watched as his copy mimicked his every movement. It seemed the clone would do whatever he did. Bringing his sword forward, Hayate quickly slashed to the left, which was dodged by his copy.

Before he could try another slash of his sword, he had to block a slice from the person in front of him. "Shit," Hayate muttered as he felt for his teammates' chakra. It seemed Genma and that Sai kid were dealing with the same jutsu he was currently dealing with.

He frowned when he felt a strong chakra signature leading Naruto and Kakashi away from the cave. Akatsuki always had teams of two… so if Kakashi and Naruto were dealing with one of the Akatsuki then-

"Shit!" Hayate commented as he quickly ducked away from his clone's attack. Rolling backward, Hayate quickly tried to feel for Sakura's chakra, and cursed again when he felt it near an unfamiliarly strong chakra; that had to be the other Akatsuki.

Slashing his sword upward, Hayate frowned when he thought about Kakashi leaving Sakura alone in the cave. What the hell was wrong with him? Hayate growled while doing another particularly savage slash downward; the sword connected with the thigh of his clone, and Hayate would have been thankful if he weren't so pissed right now.

Didn't Kakashi know Sakura was definitely not ready to face an Akatsuki member on her own? Of course he knew Chiyo-sama was there, but really, what could the elder woman do? Sakura was only a Chuunin for Kami sakes; there was no way the pinkette should have been left in that situation.

Pressing another slash upward, Hayate lost his patience as the clone dodged backward and was out of range of Hayate's sword. Leaping a few feet back, Hayate sheathed his sword and immediately began to do hand signs; he needed to end this and find Sakura as quickly as possible.

A small tornado appeared, much like it did when he battled Kisame. Watching it connected with his clone, Hayate knew he would have to come up with a quick second attack if he were going to end this like he wanted.

Just as he was about to slam his sword into the clone's back, Hayate flipped back as he felt a senbon needle fly towards him. Looking to his right he saw Genma sprint into the clearing.

Behind him, another Genma appeared. "Are you kidding me?"

XxxX

Sakura flipped back quickly and dodged as many senbon needles as she could. The needles were sharp, and definitely were dosed in poison, and that gave Sakura more of an incentive to dodge them.

Dodging left, then rolling right, and then turning her cheek just slightly, Sakura dodged the mass of senbon needles that were thrown her way. Tsunade-sama had given her this type of training; the woman said if she wanted to be a medical ninja then she would need to dodge everything, so dodge she did.

Landing beside Chiyo, Sakura wiped the sweat that dripped down her brow; she was already tired, but she could do this. The man before her had helped killed the Kazekage. There was no way to save him, but Sakura would do her best to avenge the red haired male.

"Sakura…" Chiyo said. "Allow me to help you."

Sakura nodded, not really knowing what type of help she would receive, but as four chakra strings were attached to her body, Sakura instantly realized what the silver haired woman was doing.

"Just in case," the woman said with a small smile on her face. "Now let's go!"

Sakura leaped forward of her own will and ran straight toward the puppet. The chakra strings were still attached to her, but they did not hinder her fighting. As she was two feet away from the puppet's body, the mouth opened and senbon needles began to fly out quickly.

Jumping upward, Sakura felt herself flip in the air as she now stood to the right of the puppet's body. Pumping chakra into her legs, Sakura deflected the puppet's tail as he tried to hit her with it. The tail broke in half at Sakura's punch, and as she brought her left hand back she made a fist. Soon enough, that fist connected with the back of the puppet, and Sakura leaped backward yet again.

The puppet's body crunched under the force of Sakura's blow, and was destroyed. Out of the crack Sakura had pounded into the puppet's back, a silhouette jumped. The silhouette landed several yards away from the two females. Sakura took a breath as the silhouette which was covered in black congratulated them.

"I would really expect nothing less from the woman who taught me everything I know," Sasori stated while he grabbed one side of the cloak that covered him. "But, girl, you are more surprising. I will have to use a puppet I have saved for such a special occasion."

Sakura watched as the cloak was removed and Sasori allowed his features to be seen. Sakura stood in silent awe at the sight of him; he looked no older than eighteen… Hadn't Chiyo-sama said Sasori had disappeared over twenty years ago? There was no way the man before her could be the age Chiyo-sama had said Sasori was.

Sakura's shock on that was short lived as the red haired male grabbed a scroll from behind his back. "This was one of the hardest puppets to get," Sasori said with a slight smirk as he looked to Chiyo, "But it was well worth it."

As Sasori slid open the scroll a cloud of smoke appeared, and a puppet stood in replacement of the scroll. Sakura's eyes widened as she looked to the black haired puppet; she didn't know where she had seen him before, but she felt like the male was important. The large intake of breath Chiyo-sama took reinforced her first thought.

"Who?" Sakura asked as she looked to the elder woman.

"That's… the third Kazekage."


	19. Chapter 19

Hello all. My apologies on the REALLY slow updating; I just finished the craziest semester of my life. I'll try to finish this story before I go back to make sure it doesn't happen again! Please read and review.

I hope you're all up for a well long chapter; you all deserve it after the update drought.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

The third Kazekage; Sakura had heard stories about him. He was supposedly the strongest Kazekage in all of Suna's history. The puppet that stood before Sakura had a tuft of raven hair that was almost mane like, and his eyes were the most chilling thing. They were a yellow color, not unlike Orochimaru's own. It was an unsettling reminder of the snake Sannin.

"Do you think defeating me will be that simple, Chiyo-baasama?" Sasori taunted from in front of the two women. Sakura's eyes hardened as she looked passed the puppet to the puppeteer.

Chiyo-sama's eyes were wide with shock until she took a breath and said, "This is the third instance you've been involved in dealing with killing the Kazekages. First the third, then the fourth, and now Gaara…"

"Don't blame me for the fourth you old hag," Sasori sneered from across the battle field. "I may have been Orochimaru's partner when he was in the Akatsuki but that does not mean that I still associate with him. I have my associates do that for me."

Orochimaru's name caused Sakura's eyes to widen slightly; the name always caused Sakura to think about her old team and her old crush.

She breathed out as she let his name pass her lips, "Sasuke…"

"So you know of Orochimaru's new apprentice? Interesting," Sasori said with a smirk to his lips. "Let's get this over with."

With that said the raven haired puppet was shot forward; seeing the speed the puppet possessed, Sakura quickly leaped backwards. As she did, the Third's arm formed into a claw and lashed out at Sakura quickly; quicker than what she was expecting. She dived downward to narrowly avoid a hit from the claw.

At this distance she could even smell the poison that the claw was smothered in. Arching her back, she dodged another narrow swipe to her back. Tucking her head in, Sakura quickly rolled away from the puppet.

As she stood she raised a fist and took a sweep back at the puppet. The puppet immediately dodged Sakura's strike and came back with one of his own. Taking a step back, Sakura's eyes widened when she realized at this range, there was no way she was going to dodge another swipe. The puppet stood two feet in front of her.

Crossing her arms protectively in front of her body, Sakura awaited her fate.

XxxX

"It seemed like the best course of action at the time!" Genma fought back as he sent another senbon needle flying. The brunette headed male had interrupted Hayate just has he was about to take care of his clone. Once it was interrupted, Hayate's clone and Genma's clone had decided to regroup and attack the two of them together.

"Yes, it's a fabulous idea Genma," Hayate said as he snapped on the bandana wearing male. "It was also a fabulous idea to leave Sakura with Kakashi."

"Don't get mad at me for that stupid shit!" Genma growled as he slammed a senbon needle into the Hayate clone's leg.

"I know," Hayate said with clenched teeth. He slashed down his sword into the Genma clone's left arm; it almost ripped the whole arm out of its socket from the force. "But I will never leave Sakura alone with him again. I refuse to trust him."

Hayate dove at the Genma clone again, and this time sliced his other arm. Twirling in a circle, Hayate pulled the sword out from the clone's arm and slashed it down into the clone's torso. The clone gasped, but then took a step back before morphing back into the ground.

Hayate took in a breath and looked to Genma. Just then, a loud booming noise could be heard from the direction of Sakura and Chiyo-sama's chakra.

"Shit, Genma hurry," Hayate said as he took in a deep breath. He trusted Sakura's abilities, but he didn't know how much longer she would last against an Akatsuki member.

XxxX

Sakura let out a deep breath as she watched Hiruko's tail shatter in front of her. In the last few seconds, Chiyo-sama had used one of her chakra strings to bring it in front of Sakura to protect her; Sakura gave the older woman a gracious nod.

"Clever, Granny," Sasori said with a grin as he drew the puppet back slightly. "Now take this!"

The puppet's other arm came out from under its cloak and reached forward. As it did, a paneling opened up, and that in turn released hundreds of arms that were sent flying towards Sakura.

Taking in a deep breath, Sakura began to dodge swiftly; she knew that these arms were probably all laced with poison. They surely wouldn't have been Sasori's weapons if they weren't.

Flipping backward, Sakura arched her back in an awkward way, but the pinkette gritted her teeth and stuck with it. As all of the arms landed on the ground, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief when she lay safely between ten of them.

Just as she was getting up, Sakura's eyes widened when she noticed a purple mist beginning to fill the area. "Poison!" She heard Chiyo-sama say, and instantly Sakura held her breath. Trying to leap away from the purple mist, Sakura was stopped when she felt ropes tied around her.

Gritting her teeth, Sakura moved her arm into her kunai pouch and produced a kunai tag. Hayate and Genma would never forgive me if I died here, Sakura thought, and with that, Sakura flung the kunai tag to the ground and braced herself as much as she could as the ground exploded.

Sakura was sent flying backwards and she took in a deep ragged breath. The poison mist had been cleared from the air with that move, but she had also taken some injury to herself as well.

Once she landed a few feet in front of Chiyo-sama, Sakura immediately began to heal herself. As she did, hundreds of kunai were sent her way. Just as Sakura was about to dodge a hand was placed on her shoulder. "Allow me."

Two puppets appeared in front of Sakura and Chiyo-sama.

"What do you think you're getting out of bring those things into this?" Sasori accused boredly. "I made those puppets; I know everything about them."

"Mother and Father," Chiyo-sama nodded to each puppet respectfully. As she did her fingers began to move, and that caused the puppets to move.

The mother and father puppets flew forward just as the third Kazekage did. The puppets clashed together, and both Chiyo-sama and Sasori drew them back quickly. Sasori sighed before shaking his head. "This is going nowhere fast," Sasori commented. "With this next attack, you'll be dead in no time."

With that said, Sakura watched in fascination as the Sandaime's mouth opened and black appeared out of it. It wasn't smoke, but more like sand. Sakura looked to Chiyo-sama for an explanation.

"It is the jutsu the third Kazekage was known as the strongest in the village for," Sasori answered her from across the cave.

"It is called the Iron Sand," Chiyo-sama said. "It allows the user to make the iron sand into any shape or form; it was developed based off a jutsu the previous host of Shukaku used."

"But that is just a puppet before us," Sakura said as her mind began to reel. "There's something more than that, isn't there?"

"He made what is called a living puppet; Sasori made the Sandaime's body into a puppet. This allows Sasori the opportunity to use the puppet's chakra and jutsu as if it were his own.

"Sakura you need to get out of here while you have the chance," Chiyo-sama said with a frown. "The fact that Sasori is using a living puppet is incredibly dangerous; we're both out of our league here."

"Do not worry Chiyo-sama," Sakura said with a small smile. She would never think about leaving a fellow shinobi in battle, even if there was no way of winning. "I've trained for impossible situations; Tsunade-sama is one of my senseis for a reason. Let's do this together."

"You wouldn't have had a chance to escape," Sasori commented with a dark chuckle as the Sandaime was sent their way. Sakura and Chiyo-sama both steeled themselves.

Thousands of iron sand bullets were sent their way, and Sakura's eyebrow rose as she began to dodge them; there was no way she would be able to dodge them all. Flipping backwards, Sakura's eyes caught Chiyo-sama's; the older woman had pulled the father puppet in front of her and was using a chakra shield.

Nodding quickly, Sakura sent a blast of chakra outward as she watched several of the bullets fall in front of her. Smiling, Sakura continued to dodge and if any would get too close, she would send a burst of chakra outward to protect herself.

Sakura's breath was ragged as the iron sand stopped its assault. She looked over to Chiyo-sama and noticed there was something different with the father puppet; iron sand was leaking out of every crevice and Sakura watched as the puppet sagged. It was obvious the sand was affecting the puppet's ability to function; Sakura knew Chiyo would no longer be able to use that puppet in battle.

"You know the only way to escape the iron sand is to dodge it," Sasori said in a mockingly instructional manner. "It seems the girl knew that; interesting. But it seemed it took a lot out of you, huh girl? Think you can do it again?"

Sasori grinned darkly as the third Kazekage's mouth opened again. Another assault of iron sands was sent their way and Sakura took a deep breath before looking to Chiyo-sama; there would be no way she could dodge that attack again, and it seemed Chiyo-sama knew that.

Nodding, Sakura felt something jump in front of her before the barrage of bullets hit. Once the smoke cleared, Sakura noticed the mother puppet in front of her; her arms were open and a blue chakra shield was in front of her, protecting her from harm.

Concern gripped her as she looked over to Chiyo-sama; what she saw shocked her. Her right arm was creating a chakra shield; it was a puppet's arm.

Sakura's eyes widened as she watched the iron sand leak from the crevices; Chiyo-sama detached her arm quickly.

"It is no surprise that you would also decide to make alterations to your body," Sasori commented from across the way. "It is no surprise to me, however, that you only altered your arm.

"And now, you're all out of puppets. What are you going to do now?"

Chiyo-sama looked down before looking over to the pinkette. "You need to leave now Sakura… there's nothing left we can do."

"There is something we can do," Sakura said as she tightened her fist as she looked back to the older woman. Sakura hadn't trained years just to run away. Sakura knew how strong Akatsuki members were, but if she could buy her and Chiyo enough time, then maybe Hayate and Genma would show up. "Just trust me, and follow my lead."

Sakura watched as the iron sand morphed into a large triangle object above them, she grinned slightly. She could do this.

Sasori launched his attack; he sent the triangle weapon toward her while simultaneously creating a long rectangular iron weapon. The triangle was sent forward darting towards Sakura; Sakura cracked her fist before drawing blue chakra.

Closing her eyes, Sakura threw her fist forward and it connected with the iron triangle. The triangle was sent forward crashing into the opposing wall; Sakura's eyes shined when she watched Sasori's eyes widen slightly.

"I gained my mentor's strength as well as her medical ninjutsu," she commented to the silver haired woman behind her. Chiyo-sama nodded as she brought out her hand, blue chakra strings started to glow from the woman's hands.

"Allow me to help you, Sakura," the woman said as she connected it to Sakura's body. Sakura nodded as her fists clenched tighter.

He sent another attack toward her, and Sakura quickly dodged. As she slipped by the iron rectangle, Sakura grinned as she punched it upward; the object connected with the roof of the cave, causing it to cave inward. Sakura quickly dodged all of the debris her punch has caused and watched Sasori.

She could see the pattern; before he attacks he always moves his fingers; it's a puppeteer's weakness. Whenever he moved his hands or arms, Sakura knew he was sending an attack her way; she was calculating his attacks.

As he sent another attack toward her, Sakura began to dodge before her eyes widened. The blocks had morphed together, and now were branching outward like tree branches. She knew they were moving too quickly to dodge, but she tried anyway.

Leaping to the left then back, Sakura cringed slightly when she felt one scrape against her forearm; then another against her leg. Rolling forward, she avoided any more branches that were sent her way.

After the dust cleared from the attack, Sakura heard Chiyo-sama call to her, but the voice was hazy. "Sakura, are you okay?"

It was poison, she knew it. Reaching into her pack, Sakura felt for the syringe as she fell toward the ground. Grunting when she hit, Sakura listened as she heard Chiyo-sama and Sasori speak.

"You poisoned the iron sand?" Chiyo-sama called incredulously as she tried to think of something to do; she needed to help the pinkette.

"Of course I did," Sasori called with a sneer. "If left alone for three days she will die… but I do not intend to leave her alone."

With that said Sakura quickly injected herself with the syringe and immediately began to feel her body move again. She could hear as the puppet was sent toward her, to assumingly finish her up, and Sakura waited for her chance.

Just as the puppet was above her, Sakura launched her attack. Summoning chakra to her fist and her legs, Sakura leaped upward and slammed a punch to the puppet's torso; the puppet shattered on contact.

Sakura watched as the iron sand began to fall to the ground before she leaped back to where Chiyo-sama stood; the older woman had forgotten about the antidotes until now.

"What-"

"After Kankuro-san was poisoned I decided to make a few antidotes," Sakura called over to the red head. "I made one for every person on my team, because I knew we were facing a poison user."

Sasori's eyes were watching her like a hawk as she healed the wound on her leg, but she ignored the one on her arm. She didn't have a lot of chakra left, and Sakura knew she would need to save her strength. The third Kazekage probably wasn't the strongest puppet he had; she needed to be ready.

"I'll admit you're a brat to be reckoned with," Sasori called as he shed his Akatsuki cloak. "But that does not mean I will lose to you. It's been a while since I used myself as a puppet; I hope you're ready."

The male was shirtless before her now, but Sakura wasn't sure if she could call him a male anymore. The puppet before her had a long metallic rope coming from out of his stomach; it was obvious it was laced with poison. A sharp knife stood at the end of the metallic wire; she wondered how he would use it to fight.

The fact that Sasori had made himself into a puppet didn't completely surprise Sakura; the red head was obviously crazy, and this also showed the reason why he had not aged a day over eighteen. Sakura's fists tightened as she felt Chiyo's awe behind her; they needed to end this fight now.

Taking a step forward, Sakura watched as Sasori smiled. Taking a step forward of his own, his palms opened, and Sakura's eyes widened as two small holes were on the inside.

"Come and get it brat," Sasori said as flames began to sprout out of the small holes in his palms. Sakura quickly flipped backward as Sasori sent the fire directed toward her; she quickly hid behind some debris.

Shit, Sakura thought as she tried to calculate his next move. She knew she was only a pawn in this game; he wanted to kill Chiyo-sama. Taking a deep breath, Sakura quickly ran from her hiding place as she tried to leap forward and attack Sasori.

The antidote would only work for so long, Sakura thought as she jumped out of the way of another flame attack. She had estimated three minutes would be all she had to block out the poison; she didn't have a lot of time left.

Moving away from the fire, Sakura's eye widened when the wire like rope was sent hurtling towards her. Sakura tried to dodge out of the way, but the wire followed her easily, and Sakura cringed when it sliced through the right side of her stomach.

"Damn it," Sakura coughed as she watched Sasori approach a defenseless Chiyo-sama.

Gripping the wire tightly, Sakura ignored the sharp wire digging into her skin. Quickly, she tugged the wire continuously until Sasori was sent flying towards her.

Bringing her fist back, Sakura slammed it hard against Sasori's cheek and sent him flying backward. Gripping her right side, Sakura quickly tried to heal it the best she could before walking over to where Chiyo stood.

The antidote wouldn't last for long, Sakura thought as she watched Sasori piece himself back together. Gripping her side, Sakura knew she didn't have much fight left in her.

"I've got this one, Sakura," Chiyo said with a nod. Bringing out a scroll from her cloak, Chiyo blinked before she summoned ten puppets.

From where Sasori stood, he appeared to be impressed. "Ah, so finally I get to see this technique that was said to take down castles; the secret white technique: group of ten of the Chikamatsu.

"But with this little trick, I was able to take down a whole country."

As Sasori spoke, hundreds of puppets appeared wearing black cloaks. Sakura's eyes widened, but she just tightened her fist as she felt the antidote wear off; she needed to keep fighting.

"Sakura, you've done more than enough," Chiyo said as her ten puppets danced in front of her. "The antidote has already worn off; let me fight this one."

"There's no way I'm letting you do this alone," Sakura said as she stood strong. "The antidote may be used up, but I won't stop until he's finished. I'm stubborn, like both of my senseis; you should know this by now."

Chiyo sent Sakura a small smile before nodding. "Then this will be the end battle," Chiyo said as she looked to the mass amount of puppets before them. "Let's do it."

A second later every one of Sasori's puppets was sent towards them. Sakura gritted her teeth at the sheer amount, but quickly dodged a sword thrust to her stomach. Flipping backward, Sakura smashed another puppet's face in.

It accord to her that these all used to be people. These two hundred and ninety eight puppets before her used to be people that had families; people who were probably missing. Sasori had taken away their right to live; their right to be with their precious people.

At the thought of Hayate or Genma being taken away from her, Sakura felt her power surge. She refused to ever think of that.

Slamming a heel into a puppet's head, Sakura's eyes locked with Sasori's; the puppet master was watching her.

"Sakura there are too many of them!" Chiyo called as she dodged an attack from one puppet. Gritting her teeth, Sakura dodged a barrage of swords and had to agree with the older woman. Just as she was about to call back, Sakura's eyes widened as a black puppet came out of nowhere and flew at Chiyo-sama.

"Chiyo-sama!" Sakura called to the older woman as she watched the sword slash into her left side; the older woman clenched her side before one of her own puppets dragged the other puppet away from her.

"Get Sasori," Chiyo called as she held her stomach tightly; Sakura noticed there wasn't a lot of blood, and she knew she would have to save enough chakra to heal the older woman later.

Nodding her head she started toward the red head; if she could kill him this would all be over. Grabbing a ball that Chiyo had thrown to her, Sakura's eyes widened when it looked like a demon head. Without even thinking, Sakura used her super human strength and threw the ball directly toward Sasori.

As the head neared Sasori it grew in size; as it connected with his body a seal was produced around him, and the puppet instantly stopped moving.

Sakura's eyes widened as she watched the man fall limp in front of her; all of the puppets fell to the ground as well.

It was all over, Sakura thought as she turned back towards the older woman. "Chiyo-sama," Sakura called. "Please use the antidote now."

Just as her eyes connected with Chiyo's, Sakura's widened. A black figure stood from the pile of puppets and started to race towards Chiyo. Without even thinking, Sakura flung her body in front of Chiyo's and cried out when she felt the sword enter her stomach.

Instantly, she began to heal herself, or at least whatever damage she could heal while the sword was still in her stomach. Gripping the blade, Sakura cringed when he turned the sword sideways.

"Healing yourself while the blade is inside you," Sasori commented with a smirk. "What an interesting skill."

"Use the antidote," Sakura said as blood fell from her lips. The older woman had been under the effects of the poison longer than Sakura had; she needed to take it or she would pass out very soon.

She watched in shock silence as the older woman produced the antidote she had given her earlier. The older woman slammed the syringe into Sakura's thigh; Sakura's eye widened.

"Chiyo-sama," Sakura called as she watched Sasori detach his arm and fly backward. Sakura watched as two puppets appeared out from the rubble and caught him; the swords pierced the circle part of his body. This was the only thing that had been similar with his last body, and Sakura had to believe it was this that made him him.

Sakura's eyes widened as blood began to seep out of the circle container; the mother and father puppets were the only things that were holding the male up now. Sakura grinned at Chiyo's next words.

"You won't be able to move anymore Sasori," Chiyo called. "You were overly confident, and believed I wouldn't find it; your weakness."

As Sakura heard Chiyo say she was going to be safe, she felt consciousness leave her. She fell forward with a soft smile on her face and knew that she would more than likely be dead soon.

Sasori had hit a vital point with his sword… tears fell from Sakura's eyes as she felt two chakra signatures racing toward her; they would be too late.

"I hit a vital organ," Sasori called to the old woman that kneeled beside Sakura. "Even without the poison she will be dead soon; there is nothing you can do about it."

"I am not doing medical jutsu," the older woman called as a startling vibrant blue color appeared on her hands. "I am giving her some of my life force; a life transfer technique.

"In the beginning, I created this jutsu for you, because it can even bring a puppet to life," Chiyo said as her eyes watched the pinkette's tear fall down her cheek.

Sakura sucked in a deep air of breath; Chiyo-sama turned just as she felt Hayate and Genma enter the cave.

"Sakura!" they both called as they raced over to where the pinkette lay. "Is she okay? What happened?"

Hayate was silent as he watched the pinkette's still form. It was obvious the pinkette had pushed herself to her limits… His heart clenched tightly in his chest at the thought of her not being okay.

"She'll be fine," Chiyo said as the blue in her hands began to fade. Sakura's breath steadily rose and fell and Chiyo took her hands away from Sakura's stomach.

"I thought with a life transfer Justus the user would have to die to use it," Sasori called as he stood immobile. "Why aren't you dead?"

"Sakura was still alive even if the wound you inflicted was fatal," Chiyo called as she looked to the males behind her. "She'll be fine."

Hayate's heart jumped when she said the wound was fatal… Sakura could have died?

Hayate raced over and slammed the red head in the face with a punch; it wouldn't be as strong as Sakura's, but it would give him a little bit of comfort.

"Your fist will do no harm," Sasori said as he looked to the brunette, "other than to yourself. My body feels no pain.

"But I will grant one thing to her before I cannot move my body anymore," Sasori said as his eyes lingered on Sakura; Hayate quickly moved to block the red head's view from her. He didn't want that disgusting man even looking at her. "Since she defeated me, I will give you a little hint on where to find Orochimaru."

Hayate's eyes seemed disinterested, but he knew the village would want to know this information. He slowly nodded his head.

"Her previous teammate was Uchiha Sasuke was he not?" Sasori's eyes flashed as he seemed to look past Hayate's body. "In ten days' time, go to the Tenchi Bridge in the Grass village at noon."

And with that, the red head's eyes fell back into his skull, and Chiyo allowed his body to fall forward. As his body connected with the ground Sakura took in a deep breath and let out a strangled moan.

Hayate turned and in two quick strides was in front of her. "Sakura," Hayate called while he watched her eyes slowly open. "Sakura, are you okay?"

"Hayate," Sakura's emerald eyes connected with his chocolate brown ones. She knew what she wanted to say in this moment, but she didn't. She wanted to tell him that she had been afraid she would never get to see him again… but she couldn't.

She smiled slightly when Genma pushed Hayate out of the way and hugged her tightly. "Don't ever scare us like that again Sakura," Genma said as he held her tightly before helping her stand. Just as Hayate was about to speak, Chiyo lurched forward and fell to the ground.

"Chiyo-sama!" Sakura's voice rang out as Genma leaned down to catch the woman. "Genma, quick give her your antidote before it's too late!"

Genma did so without question and watched as the woman's breathing became normal. Hayate looked to the woman questioningly. "What happened to your own, Chiyo-sama?"

"Sakura had to use both of them," Chiyo said with a small sigh. "I'm glad she did though; I wouldn't have been able to defeat Sasori without her."

Sakura smiled in gratitude before she saw the cut along Chiyo's side. "Chiyo-sama let me heal-"

"You need to get me to the Kazekage," Chiyo said with a bit of determination. "I know a way to heal him."

Sakura's eyes widened before she nodded. Genma quickly grabbed Chiyo up bridal style and began racing to where he felt Naruto and Kakashi's chakra.

Sakura was about to follow until she felt arms wrap around her.

"Don't ever, ever scare me like that again," Hayate said repeating Genma's words from earlier. Sakura's eyes widened as she felt a wetness on her shoulder. "I don't know what I would do without you, Sakura."

Sakura's eyes widened and she allowed herself to hug Hayate back. She ignored the sensation the hug brought to her stomach, and instead decided to just feel the warmth of the hug he was giving her.

Before she could even blink, Hayate had wrapped his arms around her, and was carrying her bridal style. As she was about to protest, Hayate sent her a glare. "You're out of chakra," Hayate said. "Completely out. Don't even think about fighting me on this."

Sakura had to fight off a smile as they raced out of the cave; he knew her too well. Sighing, Sakura allowed herself to snuggle into the warmth that was Hayate.


	20. Chapter 20

Hello all! Sorry for the late update again, though I am happy to say it wasn't as late as the last one! This chapter is a little more emotion driven with no action; hopefully it is to your liking, and not get too mad at Hayate…

Emotions are super confusing... Hayate doesn't respond to them very well.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

Sakura allowed tears to fall as she stood in front of Chiyo-sama's grave. The woman had given her life to revive the Kazekage, and now, Sakura was grieving for the poor woman, but she was also hoping to celebrate her life. She had been so strong, even in her old age, and now Sakura promised herself she was going to do something to remember the older woman by.

Taking a step back from the grave, Sakura felt a hand fall on her shoulder. Hayate had not left her person since he had finally arrived in the cave. It made her stomach feel warm again, and Sakura knew that her hormones were raging through her once again.

Sighing, Sakura thought on it a bit. They couldn't be just hormones, Sakura thought as she looked to where Genma stood. The other brunette of the group didn't make her stomach fill with butterflies when he touched her; neither did any other male, now that she thought about it. Kami, what was wrong with her?

Reaching up, Sakura's cold hand connected with the warm one that was on her shoulder. She resisted the urge to shudder, and instead thought back to the male that the hand belonged to. Hayate… the tall brunette headed male that did nothing but care for her well-being. The two hadn't even really known each other before three years ago, but now Sakura couldn't picture her life without him. She truly cared for the brunette headed male.

The two of them had been through a lot within the past three years. She had saved Hayate's life all those years ago and he had never let her forget it. The male had done so many things for her over the years…

Taking in a deep breath, Sakura realized that she not only cared for Hayate in a way of a student caring for a teacher, or even a teammate caring for another teammate, but also in a woman who cares for a man sense. Kami-sama… she liked Hayate. The butterflies in her stomach leaped for joy as Sakura made the discovery; she could barely breathe.

"Sakura," she heard a deep voice from behind her. "Are you okay?"

Sakura took a step forward and allowed Hayate's hand to fall off of her shoulder; was she okay? She had been in denial over her feelings for the male behind her for years, and now, now she had finally realized them. No, she was not particularly okay.

Instead of voicing her opinion, Sakura nodded slightly. She heard Hayate take a deep breath before warm arms were wrapped around her.

"I know it's hard to lose a teammate," Hayate said softly in her hair. "But this was what Chiyo-sama wanted; the woman gave her life for the Kazekage. She felt like it was her responsibility to save him; though it was respectable, I don't want you to ever feel that way."

Hayate's words fell on deaf ears as Sakura focused on the arms that wrapped around her middle. Kami, now that she admitted it she was going to start acting awkward. Her cheeks flushed a slight pink as she leaned back slightly into his chest. Sighing lightly after a few seconds of enjoying his warmth, Sakura nodded before looking behind her.

"I will always remember her," Sakura said in a soft voice. The woman helped save her own life… "Thank you Chiyo-sama."

Sighing slightly, Sakura took a step away from Hayate before looking to the Kazekage tower. "I'm going to check on Gaara-sama and Kankuro-san. I'll see you guys back in the apartment."

Without another word, Sakura walked away. Hayate and Genma were slower to leave. The bandana wearing brunette eyed his friend before breaking out into a grin.

"You really like her, don't you man?" Genma asked as he twirled his senbon around. "First you get all huggy back in the cave when you found out she had a serious wound, and now when you're trying to comfort her… or were you trying to comfort yourself?"

"Shut up Genma," Hayate said with a bite in his tone. "Of course I like Sakura; she's our teammate, you yourself like her too."

Genma groaned in frustration as the two began walking out of the graveyard. "You know what I mean man!" Genma accused with a glare. "You care for Sakura more than I do! Hell, sometimes I think you like her better than you like me."

"That's not hard," Hayate commented; clearly the brunette was annoyed. He had decided that whatever extra he may have felt for Sakura would be ignored. The girl was barely sixteen, and he was her sensei for crying out loud. It could never happen; he wouldn't let it. "I do not care for Sakura that way."

"Hayate I know you're trying to deny it but-"

"No, no buts. I told you, I don't care for Sakura in that way," Hayate said with a nod. "And there will never be more between us than being just friends and teammates."

Genma took in a deep breath but stopped the conversation; for that Hayate was grateful. He hated when his best friend pried into his life; nothing good came out of it.

Trying to fight off the headache that was beginning to form, Hayate wondered how Sakura was faring at the Kazekage Tower.

XxxX

Sakura walked to the Kazekage tower will her mind filled with thoughts of her sensei; it annoyed her to no end. Sighing, Sakura almost ran into someone before she quickly dodged.

"Sorry," she said easily as she turned to bow slightly. Finding Kakashi in front of her, Sakura took back her bow, and stood up straight instead. "Oh, Kakashi… hello."

"Sakura," Kakashi's eyes crinkled, and she assumed he was smiling underneath his mask. "I hope you're doing well."

"I am, thank you Kakashi," Sakura said as her back stood rim-rod straight; she still didn't know what to think of the male before her. "And your state of exhaustion?"

"Cured thanks to your healing," Kakashi said as his eyes crinkled again. After Chiyo-sama, Hayate, Genma and herself left the cave, they immediately went to find Naruto, Gaara, and Kakashi. They found the three: Kakashi was barely hanging on to consciousness but Naruto sat above Gaara; the blonde had been crying.

It was a thought that left her slightly unsettled; Kakashi seemed to always be injuring himself in some way or another. Nodding, Sakura was about to walk into the tower when Kakashi grabbed her arm. Raising an eyebrow, Sakura looked back to the silver haired male.

"Have you thought about the upcoming Jounin exams, Sakura?" Kakashi asked as he let his arm drop to the side.

"Not really," Sakura said, trying to be polite. It had been a while since the two of them had talked, and Sakura was confused as to why the male was bringing this up. "Why?"

"Because I think you should try to apply for them," Kakashi said as he looked straight at the pinkette. "I saw the destruction you caused the cave, and Sai, who was near the battle, told me how amazing you were… The jounin exams are coming up in a few weeks, and I think you should try for it. Anything linked with the Akatsuki is S-Class and from what Sai said, you defeated Sasori pretty much on your own; you sound more than ready."

Sakura had the dignity to blush before bowing her head slightly. "Um, thank you Kakashi," Sakura said as she turned to leave. "I will definitely think about it."

"Let me know if you need a sponsor," Kakashi said with a hand wave as he left the tower entrance. Sighing Sakura shook her head slightly at the older male's odd behavior.

To be completely honest, Sakura had been too busy lately to even think about the upcoming Jounin exams. Hayate, Genma, and she had been doing mission after mission lately, but, now that she thought about it, Tsunade-sama had mentioned it sometime last month.

Walking through the halls of the tower, Sakura thought more on it. It would be stupid not to try, at least. She had been growing stronger ever since she had been placed on her team, and if she were a jounin, her team would get harder missions; which would probably make Genma and Hayate happy.

Yes, Sakura thought, she would talk to Tsunade-sama about it when she returned to Konoha in three days. She would need two jounin sponsors though, but she knew Hayate and Genma would probably be more than willing to sponsor her.

Smiling, Sakura walked the rest of the way to Gaara's office with her thoughts quiet. She was excited, and happy that her thoughts of her sensei had been distracted with the upcoming jounin exams.

Knocking once on Gaara's door, Sakura waited until she heard a quiet enter, before she entered. She held her breath slightly as she saw Naruto standing near Gaara's desk; the red head was seated and wearing his Kage robes again.

"Sakura," Gaara acknowledge with a nod as he stood. Sakura decided to ignore the blonde in the room for now; she knew he would probably want to talk to her later.

"Gaara-sama," Sakura said as she bowed a little before walking forward. "I was wondering how you and Kankuro were doing."

Sakura watched as Gaara's lip turned up slightly, in what appeared to be an almost smile. "We're doing fine, Sakura," Gaara said with a nod as he sat back down. "You healed Kankuro well enough a few days ago. I am also well; still a little stiff but not completely uncomfortable."

"Would you like me to ease your muscles a little with my chakra?" Sakura asked as she stepped forward, her hand already glowing a familiar green.

"That would be fine," Gaara said with a nod as he turned back to Naruto. "So Sasori told team Hayate something important."

"Yeah!" Naruto nodded, a bit distracted with Sakura there, but still enthusiastic. "A spy of some sort is supposed to meet Sasori at some bridge in a few days… I'm going to make Granny send me on the mission!"

Sakura shook her head slightly as she used her healing chakra to soothe Gaara's tense muscles. After being in one position for so long, Sakura knew his muscles had to be sore. Looking away from the red head, Sakura tilted her head to listen to the blonde; she hadn't heard what Sasori had said after she passed out.

"Did Sasori say who the spy was?" Gaara asked as he eased back a little in his chair; Sakura could tell he was starting to relax from her soothing chakra.

"No," Naruto said with a frown as his eyes looked to the pinkette. "But it doesn't matter; I'll beat the information out of him if I have to. This is important; this is Sasuke!"

Sakura could have snorted at the blonde, but she chose not to. It was always Sasuke with him… Standing from her spot, Sakura bowed to the red head before turning to leave.

"Thank you, Sakura," Gaara called as she was on her way out.

"It was really no problem Gaara-sama," Sakura said as she reached the door. "If anything comes up tomorrow before we leave please do not hesitate to let me know."

Gaara nodded in response and Sakura chose that moment to leave. On her way out, Sakura sighed while thinking about a specific brunette headed male that was in her life. Even something exciting as the Jounin exams couldn't stop her thoughts about him for very long. He had been a constant in her life; she refused to act upon her crush, even if she really liked him.

He was her superior and her teammate, and there was a high probability that he didn't even like her like that in return. Letting a deep breath escape her, Sakura chose to check on Kankuro instead of heading back to the apartment right away.

The brief exchange she and Hayate had exchanged earlier was more than a little awkward for her; she would try to prolong the rest of the awkwardness until she had ample time to think about her feelings.

Flaring her chakra, Sakura felt for the unmistakable chakra of Kankuro. Finding the familiar chakra of the puppet nin in a room fairly close, Sakura started to head in that direction. Finding the room quickly, Sakura smiled as she knocked on the door.

"Come on in," Kankuro called, and Sakura entered the room. Raising an eyebrow as she did so, Sakura had to sigh slightly at the sight of all the puppets and puppet parts scattered around the room.

"Sakura-san!" Kankuro said as a smile appeared on his purple painted face. The sand shinobi had been more than thankful to her when she had cured him of Sasori's poison, especially when Temari had told him that their own medic nin had not been able to do so.

"Hello Kankuro-san," Sakura said with a smile. "I wanted to know how you were feeling. Any stiffness or pain?"

"No Sakura-san," Kankuro said with an even wider grin as he went back to the desk he was working at. It seemed he was working on the puppets Sasori had broken. Actually, looking around the room Sakura recognized some of the puppets littering the floor and desk as some that had actually belonged to Sasori.

"Doing some extra puppetry work?" Sakura asked with an eye raise; the male appeared to be elbow deep in his work, literally.

Kankuro had the decency to blush. "Yeah, I'm sure you recognize some of them," Kankuro said with a grin. "I figured since he wasn't going to use them, maybe I could. He actually has some really smart ideas with traps and things.

"I'm actually glad you stopped by, though! I wanted to talk to you about the poison and compounds Sasori used."

Sakura seemed intrigued as she leaned forward. "Yes, what about it?"

"I was hoping to develop a similar type of poison, and needed your help on the type of ingredients Sasori used."

"Sure," Sakura said as she smiled, but as her stomach growled, that smile turned to an embarrassed frown. "Sorry, I don't believe I've ate yet today."

"I'd be more than happy to take you to dinner," Kankuro offered as his smile stayed on his face. "We can discuss the poison, and I've been meaning to find a way to thank you for saving me anyways."

"Oh, well then okay," Sakura said with her own smile. Sakura knew that Hayate and Genma would not be concerned with her not being back yet; she was notorious for being a little pokey at times. Plus, Kankuro and his poison made the perfect distraction for her. Her mind immediately went to toxins and compounds, and she soon forgot about her brunette headed sensei.

XxxX

Genma sighed as he sat in the restaurant across from Hayate. The two had tried to wait until Sakura got back before going to grab dinner, but the two had been too hungry to wait. He hoped she would grab something before she got home.

Thinking of the pinkette again, Genma frowned when he looked to the brunette across from him. Genma knew, he _knew_, Hayate had feelings for Sakura. Hayate had been his best friend for over a decade now, and he knew his friend. Hayate was in a deep set of denial, but then again, Genma believed Sakura was in one as well.

Even with the age gap the two fit so perfectly together. Sakura was so mature for her age, and she just matched Hayate's analytical mind wonderfully. Sighing, Genma knew he would have to find a way to get his two friends together, not only for their sakes, but also for his sanity.

Humming slightly as the food was brought out to the table, Genma's eyes widened slightly when he caught sight of a certain pinkette sitting with a male; this opportunity was too good to pass up. Looking to his best friend, who seemed to be deeply lost in his thoughts, Genma decided to break his trance.

"Hey, is that the Kazekage's brother?" Genma asked dumbly while looking across the restaurant. Of course he knew it was Kankuro, and he knew the two having dinner across the restaurant were definitely not having a romantic dinner. Kankuro so wasn't Sakura's type.

Hayate shifted his gaze from in front of him to where Genma's hand pointed; instantly the brunette stilled before nodding. "Yes," Hayate said shortly as he too caught sight of his pink haired teammate.

"Oh it looks like he's having dinner with Sakura-Chan!" Genma said excitedly; Kami Hayate was easy to manipulate sometimes. "Do you think we should go over and say hi?"

Genma watched as his brunette headed companion ignored his question. Pouting mentally, Genma wished his friend wasn't so stubborn. Glancing back to the table, Genma hoped the sand nin would do something that would set off his friend. Make a move, Genma willed.

Grinning slightly, Genma thanked Kami that his hope was answered, because a second later Kankuro reached out and brushed back a small pink strand of hair; the action caused Sakura's face to blush.

Looking over to Hayate, Genma noticed the tense posture of his friend. "Should we go say hi now?"

Silence followed Genma's question, but Hayate stood quickly enough for Genma to know his intentions. As the two jounin carefully crept up to the table across the way, Genma's ears rang as he listened in to their conversation.

"Yeah, I'm thinking about trying out for the jounin exams," Sakura said as her emerald eyes looked across the table to her dinner mate. A hint of pride was also hidden in her voice. "Do you think I'll do well?"

"Undoubtedly," Kankuro said with a smile; the two males were almost to their table now. "I'm a jounin now, but the exams weren't that hard. I think you'll become a jounin no problem. And I don't know how it would work, or even if it would work because we are from different villages, but if you need a sponsor, I'd be more than happy too."

"She doesn't need a sponsor," Hayate said calmly as he walked up to the table. Genma noticed the betrayed tone in Hayate's voice and stopped immediately. Oh no, Genma thought, Hayate was going to do something he was going to regret. The two teens' eyes widened, and Genma noticed a blush modestly dust Sakura's features; the blush was an interesting development, Genma mused.

"I was about to say that you and Genma would probably be more than willing-"

"You are not ready for the jounin exams," Hayate interrupted as he looked away from the pinkette. Sakura's eyes widened slightly before she took in a deep breath of air; Hayate didn't think she was ready?

"I was coming over here to tell you we will be leaving early tomorrow," Hayate said as he looked a little unfazed. "Don't stay out too late."

And with that the brunette left Kankuro and Sakura's table, Genma just sat back in silent aw. He had never seen Hayate treat or talk to Sakura in that manner; it was obvious his brunette headed best friend was more than a little miffed at not being involved in Sakura's decision to take the jounin exams. And, Genma mused with a sad smile, the brunette had been jealous of seeing Kankuro and Sakura together… Something Genma knew Hayate secretly wished would happen between the two of them.

It was obvious his friend had thought the two were out on a date, and jealousy had taken over him before he could even think to stop it. Genma sighed as he gave Sakura the sad smile before he left. He was the one to start this all anyhow, Genma thought as he scanned the village for his friend's chakra signature.

Finding his best friend on the roof of the apartment complex they were staying at, Genma knew Hayate needed to let off some steam.

Throwing a senbon needle at him casually, Genma dodged the katana strike that was immediately sent in response. If Hayate needed to physically fight with him to calm down, Genma was more than willing to help.

"You had no right to say that to her," Genma said as he brought out a kunai from his weapon pouch. Kunai weren't really his thing, but whenever he was going up against Hayate's sword he knew he needed something other than a senbon. Bringing his kunai up, he blocked another failed strike of Hayate's katana.

"I don't want to talk about this," Hayate said as he dodged a few more senbon needles that Genma sent his way. Genma noticed his friend looked tired, and a little beaten; Hayate was usually not the one to say hurtful things, especially to Sakura.

"But we need to," Genma said as he dropped his fighting stance. "Sakura is our teammate, and you probably just trampled over her heart back there."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're not very experienced in the way of women," Genma sighed with a disappointed headshake. "And here I thought I had taught you so well. You saying that she wasn't ready; it probably broke her heart."

"I know Sakura respects my opinion a lot," Hayate said his tone began to sound a little regretful as he sheathed his sword. "But that doesn't mean I broke her heart by saying that."

"You're an idiot," Genma said as he sent Hayate a serious stare. "She likes you; like really likes you. Did you see the look on her face when you said that to her?"

"… I couldn't look at her." Hayate admitted out loud; it seemed like the fact that she liked him went straight over his head. Genma turned to his friend and sighed.

"She looked crushed Hayate," Genma said. "You've always been supportive of her in everything; even though you knew she wasn't ready for the Chuunin exams you still let her go… why is it different now?"

"She's precious to me," Hayate admitted while he looked across the roof to his best friend. "If she becomes jounin, then we will have to go on more dangerous missions. What if I won't be able to protect her?"

"That's a stupid excuse," Genma said. "She's precious to me too, but I think she is more than ready."

"And… she didn't even talk to us about it…" Hayate shrugged his shoulders before sighing. "I sound pathetic."

"Yes, yes you do," Genma agreed while patting his friend on the shoulder. "Ultimately this is Sakura-Chan's decision, and if she feels she is ready then it is our job to support her."

"I should go apologize," Hayate said with a small frown.

"Give her an hour or so," Genma said. "She'll be less likely to punch your face into the ground."

"Gee," Hayate said with a bit of sarcasm. "Thanks for that Genma."

"Anytime my friend, anytime."


	21. Chapter 21

Hey guys! Sorry it took me a while to update; school has been kicking my ass again. I'll try to update sooner, rather than later. I'm already working on Chapter 22, so hopefully it will be up quicker than this past one was.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

A Chance Encounter: Chapter 21

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She had been listening to him pace outside her room for nearly an hour now, and she wasn't sure if he was waiting for her to come out, or was trying to find the courage to come inside.

To say she had been devastated last night when Hayate had spoken to her the way he did was an understatement; the brunette headed male had always been supportive of her. That was probably why Hayate saying she wasn't ready for the exam felt like a chakra infused punch to the gut.

Last night after he had left the restaurant Sakura had nearly been in tears; Kami it was just so unexpected. Hayate had never, _never_ said something so hurtful or acted so cold to her. After Kankuro had walked her home, Sakura snuck into the apartment through her window to avoid any type of confrontation; she just needed some time to think, and think she did. She had spent the whole night thinking about it, and now she was more angry than devastated.

Hayate had no right to tell her what she could and could not do. Yes, he was her superior officer, and her sensei, but that didn't mean he knew what was best for her. If he didn't think she could make jounin then he really didn't know her as well as she had thought. Because now, Sakura was sure she was going to try out for the jounin exams, with or without Hayate's permission. She already knew Kakashi and Kankuro would support her, and those would be her second options if Genma and Tsunade-sama herself turned her down.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura finished packing her bag. The three of them were scheduled to be leaving within the hour, and Sakura didn't want to be the one to slow the group down; as soon as they were back in Konoha, Sakura would talk to Tsunade-sama.

XxxX

He had been such a fool the night before. For reasons completely unknown to himself, Hayate had been overly rude, unsupportive, and just plain mean to Sakura. Well maybe his reasons weren't completely unknown…

Sighing slightly, Hayate still felt the twinge of s_omething _in his gut as he thought back to the night before. Sakura had been telling Kankuro she was thinking about taking the jounin exams, and if Hayate was completely honest with himself, he knew she would be able to pass them. The reason he had been so quick to protest the night before was because he hadn't even known she had wanted to take the exams. He was her sensei for crying out loud, wasn't she supposed to confide in him, and ask his advice? It sounded so petty when he thought about it, but the feelings were just the same.

And, if she was a jounin the missions would be a lot harder, and she would be put in more danger. He was already kicking himself ten times over when he practically left her alone with a member of the Akatsuki.

The twinge in his stomach lurched forward again as Hayate thought about the scene he had walked in on at the cave. Sakura had been mortally wounded; she was laying on the ground while Chiyo was healing her… the cave around her looked so tattered and demolished that he had been unable to contain his emotions.

She had been injured, and even though he was not there directly, he was still at fault for putting her life in danger. The twinge he felt was definitely guilt, but it was mixed with something else he couldn't explain… something he wouldn't let himself dive deeper into.

Taking another deep breath, Hayate put his hand on the door knob and tried to collect himself. He was supposed to be apologizing; he had been trying to apologize for the past hour, but he couldn't find the courage to do so.

He knew he was a chicken, and called himself thus, but even as he called himself that, he still couldn't open the door that lead to her room. Sighing, he took a step back and looked to the only clock in the apartment.

The three were going to be leaving soon, and he knew he couldn't travel with her if they were fighting; he had to do something.

Finding the courage, Hayate knocked once on the door before entering. Hayate's eyes scanned the room and found Sakura only a few feet away with a bag slung over her shoulder.

Looking in her emerald eyes, Hayate felt the twinge again in his stomach, but chose to ignore it as he looked away.

"Sakura…" Hayate started. "I can't begin to apologize enough for what I said last night… As juvenile as this is going to sound, I think I was a little hurt and jealous that you told Kankuro your decision about the jounin exam before you even talked to Genma or me. I know that shouldn't be an excuse, but I don't think I was really thinking at the time.

"Genma and I talked it out last night, and even though I'm apologizing right now for what I said, I still think we should train a little harder before you try for jounin. I could try to teach you some new water jutsu, and you and Genma can finish mastering that earth jutsu you've been working on."

Sakura was silent as she watched her sensei look away from her while he spoke. She still didn't agree with what he said, and she was still mad at him, but that didn't mean her anger hadn't lessened from his apology; because it really had.

Her heart swelled as she watched the man she was becoming more and more attached to every day tell her all the things he would do to help make her stronger. This was why, all those years ago, she had asked for Hayate's help. She knew the male before her would help her.

"I'm not going to pretend like what you said to me last night didn't hurt me, because it really did," Sakura said. Kami, this was starting to sound like a talk someone would have with someone else when they were in a relationship; she had to turn it back around before she went too far. "But, I realize now that I hurt you too, though it was unintentional… You should know that I would never try to hurt you, Hayate. I think you're an amazing sensei, and I always take your advice to heart.

"So, when we get back to Konoha I'd like to work on those jutsu with the two of you," Sakura found her voice as she watched the brown eyes of Hayate lift up and sparkle. Kami, how hadn't she realized how much she liked this man before? He was so damn attractive, and he really wanted the best for her.

"Awesome," Hayate said while taking a step back; the smile she loved was shining brightly on his face. "When we get back to Konoha we'll start right away. I'll just grab my bag, the frilly apron from the kitchen and Genma and then we can leave."

Trying not to smile, Sakura watched as her sensei walked out of her room. Even though she had agreed to work with him and Genma, she still was going to apply for the jounin exams when she returned to Konoha. She knew it was going against the wishes of her sensei, but at the moment she just didn't care. She respected him, yes, but she knew she was ready. Hell, if Kakashi was noticing her then she was damn well ready.

After everything she had been through in the past few years, Sakura believed it was her right to at least try to become a jounin.

Following Hayate out the way he came, Sakura watched his back enter the room he and Genma shared. It would be easier if she lied to him a little longer… about the jounin exams and about her feelings for him. She doubted she would ever tell him the latter.

XxxX

Genma did nothing to stop the smile on his face while the three of them flew through the forest. It was obvious his other two teammates had made up, and watching the noticeable blush rise on Sakura's face whenever Hayate got too close was incredibly satisfying.

He knew he had to do something when they all returned to Konoha… Hayate needed to realize his feelings for Sakura, and Genma, being the awesomest best friend in the whole world, decided he would be the one to help him.

Slowing his pace a little, Genma watched the smile appear on Hayate's face as the two talked about something that was probably not important… oh yes, he would do whatever he could to make his best friend realize his feelings for the girl beside him.

Sighing, Genma noticed how close to Konoha they were; they'd be arriving within the hour. Ideas were already flying through his head.

"Do you think he's paying attention to us at all?" Sakura asked as she raced a few feet in front of the brunette headed male; Genma was lost in his own little world.

"Nah," Hayate said with a shake of his head and a smile. "I bet he's thinking about Shizune; do you see the dreamy look he has on his face?"

Sakura took a casual glance back at Genma and laughed. "That or he's plotting something."

Hayate grinned and turned toward his best friend. "He better not be plotting anything. His plans always get him in trouble, and leave me with headaches."

Laughing, Sakura turned back towards the trees in front of her and sighed. They were almost back to Konoha, and outwardly everything seemed as normal as it could be. The group of three had been traveling for a few days, and the group dynamics had been back to normal, at least somewhat. Ever since Sakura had realized her attraction for her sensei she had begun to blush whenever he got too close, even if it was unintentional. It really wasn't her fault though; Hayate was incredibly good to look at.

And he was kind too. Hayate always tried to do anything in his power to help her; be it bringing her soup when she was stuck in bed sick, or try to train her to make her stronger. He was a great man, and Kami, Sakura had it bad for him.

Giving Hayate a grin before doing a few hand signs, Sakura said, "Water release: Water Gunshot," before a stream of clear blue water flew from her mouth. The target, who was still off in his own little world, didn't see the stream coming until it was too late.

"Damn it Sakura!" Genma yelled as he was knocked off of the branch he had been standing on. His only response from the pinkette was a bout of laughter. Looking to his best friend, Hayate was giving him the same response.

"You should pay more attention," Sakura chided as she waved a finger in the air. "I could have been an enemy nin."

"Not with how close we are to Konoha," Genma complained while taking off his soaking wet bandana. Flinging the bandana at Sakura, Sakura laughed even harder when it landed on Hayate. Hayate frowned before removing the piece of cloth from his body.

"I'll report to Hokage-sama once I get back," Hayate said to the two of his teammates. "You guys can go train right away if you have this much energy."

Seeing the village gates in the distance, Sakura turned toward Genma. "Genma," Sakura said, watching as Genma tried to ring out the water from his hair. "Would you mind working on the jutsu you showed me when we get back? That, and I have to talk to you about something."

"Huh?" Genma grunted as he sent Sakura a glare. "I don't know if I want to work on any jutsu with you."

"I'll report to Hokage-sama," Hayate said without looking back at the two; he was fighting a grin at seeing Genma soaked. Throwing the wet bandana at Sakura, he continued, "When I'm finished I'll meet you two at the training area."

"Sure thing," Genma said with a glare and a salute. Sakura mimicked his salute before watching Hayate's speed increase slightly as the three entered the village gates.

Stopping when she reached Konoha soil, Sakura turned towards Genma and sighed. "This actually isn't about training," Sakura said while turning back to Genma. Leaning against the village gate Sakura nodded to the guards on duty. Turning back to her teammate, Sakura noticed Genma's eyebrow rise, but he didn't say anything. "And I wasn't trying to make you mad with the water bullet; you were really lost in your thoughts… Usually when that happens it's not good for either Hayate or myself."

"In this case it's will be good for you both," Genma whispered with a grin as he nodded for Sakura to continue.

"I'm going to apply for the Jounin exams, and I need another sponsor. I know Hayate-sensei already said I wasn't ready, but I really think I am. Kakashi was the one to suggest it to me back in Suna, but I've been thinking about it for a while.

"I want you to be my second sponsor."

Sakura watched as Genma nodded his head slightly; a small grin forming on his face. "Hayate is not going to like this," Genma said as he twirled the senbon needle in his mouth. "But I think it's something you need to do."

"Thank you Genma," Sakura said as she flung her arms around him; she didn't even care that he was still soaking wet. Taking a step back after a few seconds Sakura looked the brunette in the eyes. "Promise me you won't tell him."

"Hayate?" Genma said with a knowing grin. "I promise I won't tell him, but you know that your sponsors will have to travel to the exams with you right? Hayate is going to find out…"

"Yes, I know that," Sakura said as she took in a deep breath of air. "I was just hoping we'd be gone by that point. How mad can he be if I end up returning as a jounin?"

"Pretty mad," Genma said lightly. "But I think this'll be a good opportunity for you, and in all reality I just like pissing Hayate off. And, we'll have at least a week off of missions; that is something I can't pass up."

XxxX

"Hokage-sama," Hayate bowed as he entered the Hokage's office. The blonde sighed as she nodded at him before looking to all the paper work that was scattered around her desk.

"If I'd known being the Hokage was going to be this boring, I probably wouldn't have become the Hokage," Tsunade complained as she took a sip of sake that had been on the table.

"Sorry to hear that Hokage-sama," Hayate said with a shrug. "I just came to report Team Hayate's latest mission. Hopefully it'll give you something more interesting to think about than just paperwork."

Tsunade frowned slightly as she poured a second cup of sake and nodded towards the chair in front of her desk. "Pull up a chair and have a drink; Gaara sent me a letter explaining some of what happened on your mission, though not everything. You guys encountered the Akatsuki?"

"We did," Hayate nodded while he sat. Bringing up the sake to his mouth, Hayate downed the drink in one sip before resting the cup on the table. "Both teams experienced a few Akatsuki members actually."

"Start at the beginning."

"We arrived in Suna and immediately went to the hospital to help Kankuro-san," Hayate said as he reached up and ran a hand through is hair. "Sakura was able to detect and treat the poison right away and sucked it out of Kankuro's body. She obtained a sample and after a few hours created an antidote for the poison in case we needed it later; in the end we did.

"Sakura met up with one of the village elders, Chiyo-baasama, and she found out more information on one of the Akatsuki members: Sasori of the Red Sand. Sakura agreed to allow Chiyo-sama to accompany us on the mission the following day."

"I remember that old hag," Tsunade said with a sigh as she raised her glass of sake in the air. "Kami rest her soul. What happened the next day?"

"We meet up with Team Seven," Hayate said while sending a look at Tsunade, "And meet up with two Akatsuki members: Kisame and Itachi. Our team battled Kisame, and beat him, though later on we found out it was actually a jutsu they used on a person to project Kisame into the person; it wasn't really him.

"Then we met up with team Kakashi again, and were outside of this big cave that had a barrier surrounding it, and a rock in front of the entrance. Sakura was sure she could break the entrance, but we needed to find the other seals that kept the barrier in place. In the end Sai, Genma, and I were the ones to peel off the seals to the barrier; Sakura was able to break down the entrance and the group of four raced inside to meet up with the two Akatsuki."

"What happened with you, Sai, and Genma?"

"We were detained in a strong jutsu that created exact copies of ourselves; once we removed the seals the jutsu was created."

"What happened with Sakura, Chiyo and Sasori in the cave then?" Tsunade asked; she was currently writing down a few notes of what he was saying on a piece of paper.

"I'm not a hundred percent sure; the battle was already over by the time we arrived at the cave. I'd ask Sakura for a complete explanation."

"But Sasori was still alive? Gaara said something that was of interest to me; something about Orochimaru," Tsunade said while pouring herself another glass of sake.

"Yes, Sasori said to go Tenchi bridge in Grass in ten days," Hayate said as he leaned back in his chair. "I believe that is where he was supposed to meet a spy of some sort."

"Hm," Tsunade said as she stroked her cup of sake. "I'm going to have to send a team there to investigate. You said ten days? It's probably been three days since you heard him say that; so approximately seven days left? I'll be able to find a team in the meantime. Now, what of Sakura's battle with the Akatsuki member?"

"Chiyo-sama told me Sakura was his main opponent, and barely even needed the Sand nin's help," Hayate said with a small smile. His smile went away as he continued. "But she did receive a fatal wound from Sasori; if Chiyo-sama had not been there Sakura would have died."

"But she was still able to defeat an Akatsuki member mostly by herself?" Tsunade asked as a smile worked its way on her face. "Sakura would do well in the upcoming jounin exams."

Hayate froze for a moment before shaking his head. "Sakura and I both agree she's not ready yet for the exams," Hayate said as he stood from his seat. "Is there anything else before I leave, Hokage-sama?"

Hayate watched Tsunade's face frown slightly, before shaking her head. "Your team will have a few days off," Tsunade said before grabbing a stack of paper. "I may need you for the mission to Grass, however, so stay ready."

"Understood," Hayate said with a nod as he left the Hokage's office.


	22. Chapter 22

Hey guys! Sorry the last chapter was kind of short! I know you guys would be disappointed, so I tried to update this faster… It wasn't as fast as I had hoped though. This semester will be over in a few weeks, and hopefully I can finish this story before the summer : ) I'm sure you all would appreciate that.

Thank you all so much for the reviews! I can't believe I have 400! You guys are amazing! Here's the 22nd chapter for my 22nd birthday, which was on Thursday (only a few days late!) : )

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

Sakura stood in the Hokage's office with her shoulders held high; behind her stood Kakashi and Genma. Looking to her only female sensei, Sakura smiled before bowing.

"Good morning Hokage-sama," Sakura said as she rose from her bow. "I'm here to apply for the jounin exams; Kakashi-san and Genma-sensei both agreed to be my sponsors."

Tsunade sat at her desk with a raised eyebrow. Tsunade looked to the two males behind Sakura before looking at the pinkette. "Yesterday your other sensei had told me you were not applying; I was a little disappointed by what Hayate said, but now I'm confused. You want to apply now?"

"Yes," Sakura said with a nod. "I'm doing this without Hayate-sensei knowing; he doesn't think I'm ready, but Kakashi, Genma, and I all think I am. Kankuro from Suna even thought I was ready; I've defeated an Akatsuki member, Tsunade-sama! I want to try to become a jounin."

A fond smile appeared on Tsunade's face. "Of course you do," She said with a smile. "And I'm allowing it. Kakashi and Genma will be escorting you to Lightning within the week. You will be training on the way there, and hopefully will have some more time to train when you arrive. The exams are going to be in two weeks and I want you to be ready."

"Yes ma'am," the three bowed and nodded.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama," Sakura said as she headed out of the office. Looking beside her, Kakashi and Genma followed her out. Turning to the silver haired male, Sakura sighed before speaking. "I need you to not tell Hayate about this Kakashi."

Kakashi's eyebrow rose in response to her question, but then nodded. "I heard what you said in there Sakura… I know you're ready to be Jounin," Kakashi said as he looked ahead. "I won't say anything to your sensei; see you in a couple of days."

With that said, Kakashi poofed away, and Sakura smiled slightly. "It shouldn't be so bad, should it Genma?" Sakura asked as the two began to walk down the Hokage's stairs together. "I mean I know Hayate will learn what we have done when we're gone, but he won't suspect anything right? And nothing will happen…"

Genma walked beside Sakura, and his mind flew with possibilities; maybe a little push was all Sakura needed. "I would make sure to say goodbye to Hayate in any instance… Jounin exams are a lot harder than Chuunin exams Sakura-Chan. And you almost died in the Chuunin exams. I'm not saying you're going to die at any means, you're too strong for that; I would just make sure you give Hayate a proper farewell."

Sakura's emerald eyes widened and Genma fought a hard urge to pat himself on the back; he hoped this would be the right push Sakura needed. He knew Hayate wouldn't be the one to start anything; the male was too confused with his feelings. After observing Sakura for what he deemed a large amount of their trip back from Suna, he had come to a realization: Sakura had discovered her feelings for Hayate. That was really the biggest step, and Genma knew Sakura would have to be the one to instigate the relationship. And Kami, his two best friends really needed to be together; it was almost annoying how perfectly they fit together.

"Sakura you're not going to die or anything, but when was the last time team Hayate spent more than two weeks apart? It's going to be weird for Hayate too," Genma said as the two reached the bottom of the stairs. "We should head to the training area; I'm sure the Hokage will call us in the day before she wants us to leave."

"Right…"

XxxX

Something was going on, Hayate just knew it. Sakura's focus was usually much better than this. After hitting Sakura for the fourth time with a wind jutsu that he knew she could counter, Hayate called a stop to practice.

And Kami, he knew Genma was a part of it, because that bastard was grinning like the cat that got the canary; what the hell was going on?

"Sakura," Hayate said as he walked over to where she was currently healing her stomach. The jutsu hadn't been at full-power, he could never hit Sakura with a full power jutsu, but it was enough to leave a large mark. Hayate frowned at the mark his own jutsu left. "What's going on with you? Are you okay?"

Emerald eyes looked up to chocolate ones, and Sakura felt a rosy blush rise on her cheeks. "I'm fine Hayate," Sakura spoke, her voice was deeper than what she meant it to be; it made her cheeks blush even more. "I think we can continue practice; I promise I'll try to pay attention."

"What's got your attention right now, Sakura?" Hayate said while he leaned in front of her; he just wanted to be inside her head at the moment.

Sakura's eyes widened even more, and he was right in front of her. Taking a deep breath in, she could smell him, and Kami that made concentrating even harder. "A lot of things," Sakura said as her voice went a little higher.

Hayate sighed before brushing back a few locks of her pink hair to feel her forehead. "Are you sure you're okay, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded her head, afraid she wouldn't be able to find her voice as the male in front of her just got closer, and it really wasn't in the way she wanted. He was just worried and concerned for her; he wasn't trying to get closer to her in that way. Taking a deep breath, Sakura calmed her ragging heart before she scooted back away from Hayate so she could stand.

"I'm fine Hayate," Sakura said with a small smile. "I promise."

"Okay," Hayate said while rising on his feet; her smile alleviated him somewhat. "Let's get back to the spar then."

Sakura nodded and took a few more steps away from Hayate. This spar was supposed to help Sakura realize her weaknesses so she could try to correct them. The pinkette looked to the male across from her and sighed; she already knew that weakness, and she wasn't going to correct it any time soon.

Hayate had always seemed more than a sensei to her, and it was weird that she just now was realizing it. Hayate was kind, he was supportive, he was appreciative, he was caring, he was so many wonderful things; before she left for Lightning she had to do something, anything.

Nodding her head in determination, Sakura got into her fighting position. She would try to think of something later; right now she had to focus. The Jounin exams were in a little under two weeks, and she had to learn as much as possible in that amount of time. She didn't know what type of Chuunin would be fighting at the exams, but she knew she would have to be better than all of them. She couldn't come back from the exams without becoming a jounin; she didn't want Hayate to be right.

Feeling the air shift around her, Sakura knew Hayate was going to attack her with a wind jutsu again; she knew wind and lightning jutsu were her weakness. It was good that Hayate was trying to help her. Doing a few rapid hand signs, Sakura mumbled, "earth release: earth style wall."

A wall of earth burst upward just as the wind jutsu almost reached her; the wall protected her from the wind blast. Taking a few steps back, Sakura waited for Hayate to leap over the wall to try and attack her with his sword; sometimes it wasn't always good sparring with just her teammates. They were awfully predictable when they wanted to be.

Just as she saw Hayate's brown locks begin to rise over her wall, Sakura did a few more hand signs, and without even saying the jutsu, four rock pillars met right above her wall, and tried to trap Hayate.

"Better," Hayate commented as he twisted backwards and away from the earth jutsu. "I'm glad this match had your full attention. We'll take a break for now."

Nodding in response, Sakura walked over to where her backpack was. Grabbing her water bottle, Sakura looked over her shoulder questioningly when she felt another chakra signature enter the training field. Finding her silver haired sponsor, Sakura raised an eyebrow before walking over to him.

"What did you need Kakashi?" Sakura asked as she stood before him. Her back was to her two senseis, but she could already feel Hayate's curious eyes on her.

"We'll be leaving tomorrow morning," Kakashi said with a sigh as his lone eye looked over her shoulder to Hayate. "Early, preferably, so no one really knows that we left."

"Okay," Sakura said with a determined nod; it seemed like Tsunade wanted to give her enough time to get to Lightning and train comfortably. "What time should we meet you at the gate?"

"Six," Kakashi said with a slight nod of his head and a salute. "And I promise this time Sakura, I will not be late."

With that said, the silver haired man nodded to Genma before walking back out of the training area. Sakura sighed slightly in confusion, but nodded her head; she had no idea what Kakashi was saying, but for now, she decided to ignore it. She had decided that she needed to do something important before she left Konoha… Kami, she just hoped it didn't blow up in her face afterward.

XxxX

Hayate watched with curious eyes as Sakura's ex-sensei talked with her. He hadn't even known the two were on talking terms, but the two seemed easy in each other's presence. "Are they friends?" Hayate found himself questioning out loud before he could stop himself.

"I dunno," Genma said with an eyebrow raise. "They have been talking a lot more; maybe he's into her, ya know?"

Hayate looked at Genma with wide eyes before coughing slightly. "He's so old Genma; at least seven years older than myself. That's fourteen years older than Sakura… I don't know if I would approve of their relationship."

Genma's eyes glowed slightly before he spoke. "Fourteen years really isn't that much time," Genma found himself saying. "Especially since Sakura is as mature as she is. She is the most mature sixteen year old I have ever met; it really shouldn't come as much of a surprise that she is interested in older men."

Hayate couldn't protest that one; Sakura was the most mature girl he had ever met. He often had to remind himself of her age, because at most times she seemed older than Genma. But to be with a man who is fourteen years older? Hayate thought that might be a bit of a stretch. Seven years wasn't so bad… No, to fourteen years, seven seemed like almost nothing. Shaking his head slightly, Hayate watched as Kakashi nodded to Sakura and then to Genma before leaving; what the hell?

"I didn't know you were friends with Kakashi either," Hayate said feeling a little bitter at the situation. Genma fought a smile; Hayate was so easy to manipulate.

"We have the same interests," Genma said despite himself, because he really wanted to give Hayate a clue; Kakashi's presence told Genma the group of three would be leaving the next day. It was almost time to go to Lightning, and Hayate needed more than a clue to realize his feelings for Sakura.

"I don't know what that means," Hayate sighed as he watched the pink haired girl walk back to the training area. Her emerald eyes were full of determination, and Hayate didn't know how to read into that emotion.

"Hayate," Sakura said as she came back into talking distance. "Can I talk to you tonight, over dinner? There's something I think we need to talk about…"

Kami, she was going to tell him about her and Kakashi's relationship… he didn't know if he could handle it. "Where did you want to meet up?"

"I'll be at tea shop around six," Sakura said as she looked into Hayate's brown eyes.

"Six it is then," Hayate found himself incredibly curious; the look in Sakura's eyes was something he wasn't used to seeing. She seemed so sure of herself; Sakura was confident, but she usually wasn't this confident.

With that said, Sakura nodded before she walked out of the training area; tomorrow she would worry about training for the Jounin exams, tonight she had something more important to attend to.

"That was weird," Hayate said under his breath as he watched Sakura leave.

Genma's eyes shined as he watched the pinkette leave. "Atta girl," he said under his breath.

XxxX

She stood in front of her mirror and pressed down the sides of her dress; she couldn't remember the last time she had gotten so dressed up. Tonight was a big night for her; tonight she was going to tell Hayate how she felt about him.

It could really end badly, but Sakura felt that if he didn't feel the same way she did, which he probably didn't, she was going to have a few weeks to get over the heart break. And, she was hoping he would be too mad at her for doing the Jounin exams to really remember anything else.

Sakura knew what Hayate was likely to say, but she couldn't leave him for so long without confessing her feelings to him. Genma was right, what if something happened? Hayate should be safe in the village because his team was going on a mission without him, but Sakura couldn't guarantee her own safety.

That was why she had to at least tell him; the butterflies in her stomach were fluttering around nervously, and Sakura knew it was almost six. Since the two lived in the same apartment complex Sakura knew they should have walked together, but she also knew she had to have a clear mind if she was going to confess to Hayate…

Looking back into the mirror, Sakura smiled at the light blue dress that hugged her curves perfectly. It was something Ino had picked out on their last shopping trip together; the blonde had said it would complement her hair nicely, and Ino had been right.

Sakura also knew that blue was Hayate's favorite color, so she wanted to wear it. She was trying to go all out; she even allowed her hair, which was usually left down, to be tied up in a small bun. She didn't have much hair to work with in the first place, but she did what she could.

Grabbing her purse and slipping on her "nice sandals", Sakura left her apartment without much thought. She was fifteen minutes early, but she thought she could take the long way around Konoha; she had a lot to think about.

No matter what Hayate's response was, she knew that she still would have to work with him, and she would still want to be friends with him, but this was just something she was going to have to do.

Walking down the path beside her apartment, Sakura stopped when she saw the man of her thoughts. He was just leaving his apartment now, and he was probably going straight to the tea house; Hayate was always one to be punctual.

Now seemed like a better time than ever to talk with him. She wasn't really interested in dinner anyways, not when her stomach fluttered the way it did.

"Hayate," Sakura called out to him as she watched him walk down the stairs. Upon watching his eyes look up, Sakura's cheeks went rosy. Hayate's chocolate eyes widened as he looked over Sakura's appearance; his cheeks even went a slight red.

"S-Sakura," Hayate said coughing slightly into his hand; it would always be a nervous habit for him, though it was something that he rarely did anymore.

"I guess we can just take a walk around the village if you want," Sakura said as she shrugged and took a few steps closer to the brunette headed male.

"Yeah, that would be okay with me," Hayate said as he looked away from the pinkette, cheeks still a little rosy. "Where did you want to go?"

"It's been a while since I've been to the Hokage Monument," Sakura said with a smile as she stood beside Hayate; the two began to walk in perfect step with each other.

"To the monument it is…" Hayate said as his eyes looked to the monument in the distance. "Now, what did you want to talk about?"

"I've been thinking about this for a while now," Sakura said as the blush came back on her cheeks. How was she supposed to tell the man she liked that she liked him; probably loved him? "Well, probably not a while, but ever since our last mission… I've been thinking about it."

"Okay," Hayate said as his eyes stayed forward; she was going to bring up Kakashi wasn't she? He was on the last mission… Kami, she was going to confess to him that she liked Kakashi; he didn't know how he would handle it.

"It's this feeling I've had," Sakura said. "And I can't ignore it anymore. I thought you should be the first one to tell, Hayate.

"Hayate, what I'm trying to say is, that I really really like-"

"I know, Sakura," Hayate said as he looked down to the sidewalk before him; he couldn't listen to her say the words out loud. Something tightened in his chest as he realized that he didn't want Sakura to be with Kakashi; he was too old, and he didn't deserve someone as wonderful as Sakura. Why did his chest hurt all of a sudden?

"You know?" Sakura asked with relief in her eyes; he already knew how she felt about him?

"Yes," Hayate said and looked up to the pinkette. The relief in her eyes only made his chest constrict a little more tightly. "And there is too big of an age difference, Sakura. You're too young."

Sakura's emerald eyes lost their relief, and another emotion fluttered inside them: hurt. "Too much age difference?"

"Yes," Hayate said as he ran a hand through his hair. The two continued on in silence as the monument grew closer and closer. "You're too good of a person Sakura, you deserve better."

"Hayate, how can you say that?" Sakura said as she whirled around at him; her eyes were blazing, and she didn't understand why he seemed to be hurt too; she was the one that was confessing her feelings to him. "I know this is probably a lot to take in right now; I usually don't confess my feelings to you, and I'm sorry I'm telling you my feelings now, but… I thought you would react differently."

"Sakura, how did you think I'd react?" Hayate asked, his voice was rising and he didn't even know why. Why was he getting so worked up over Sakura liking Kakashi? Why was his pulse racing? "There is no way I would ever support this relationship!"

"But I thought maybe after the way you reacted to Kankuro and I that it would have been different," Sakura said as her eyes turned down cast. The two had been talking and walking so much they were already on the trail up to the monument; the two must have been walking on autopilot.

Sakura's mention of Kankuro's name confused him greatly, and it brought up even more anger within him; Kankuro wasn't good enough for her either. "What the hell does Kankuro have to do with Kakashi?"

Sakura blinked slightly but then looked Hayate in the eye; her eyes shone with confusion. "What does Kakashi have to do with this?"

Hayate froze for a second before his eyes sparkled with his own confusion. "Sakura, didn't you just tell me you really liked Kakashi? This whole conversation has had to do with Kakashi..."

Sakura bit back a laugh as she finally understood the conversation the two were having; Hayate believed she had been talking about Kakashi, while Sakura herself thought Hayate was talking about himself.

"Hayate… I don't like Kakashi that way…" Sakura said as she took a step closer to the brunette; Kami her sensei could be so oblivious sometimes.

"You don't?" Hayate asked as he let out a breath of relief. Why did it feel so good to know she wasn't in love with the copy-nin?

"No," Sakura said while taking another step. It was now or never; she had to do it. Kunochi up, Sakura told herself. "I like you."

Sakura took in a deep breath as she leaned in forward and stood on her tip toes. Hayate wasn't outrageously taller than she was, but he was tall enough for her to go on her tip toes. Placing a hand behind her sensei's neck, she pulled him down a little bit before bringing her lips to connect with his own.

The spark of desire flew through her as soon as their lips connected; her stomach was fluttering with something more than butterflies. As she molded her lips against his, she frowned slightly when she did not get a response.

Taking a step back, Sakura sighed before she felt her stomach clamp uncomfortably; she knew this was going to happen. Hayate did not feel for her in that way; he saw her as a student and not as a woman he could spend the rest of his life with. Taking another step back, Sakura dipped her head down. She really hoped this wouldn't cause any uncomfortable, awkward feelings between her team. She would never forgive herself if-

And the feeling of Hayate's lips against hers caused all thinking to stop. His hands were in her hair; the bun she had worked so hard on was taken out, and Kami, he just felt so good to her. His hands, his lips, his body, it was all pressed up against her. The spark of desire was back, and it flew through her and sent her into over-drive.

Hayate's lips were soft, and reminded Sakura of everything she liked: dango, autumn, sunshine, and a cool breeze all wrapped up in one. His lips fit against her own perfectly, and as Sakura tried to mold hers even closer with Hayate's own, Hayate's tongue dashed across her lower lip and it practically begged for entrance.

Sakura opened her mouth willingly, and the taste of Hayate's lips was nothing in comparison to the taste of his mouth. His body was so warm, and his mouth was so good; her body was on fire, and the way his tongue danced with hers made stomach muscles clench in desire.

Finding herself struggling to breathe, Sakura detached her lips from his own, and she felt Hayate's lips attach to her neck. Sakura let out a breathless sigh as she ran her hands through Hayate's hair.

"Hayate," Sakura whispered out as his arms circled her tiny waist; this was what she wanted, but she couldn't think straight at this moment. Hayate's lips caused her thoughts to go crazy; all she could think about was the feel of his body as it moved against her own.

As Hayate's tongue swirled on an especially sensitive spot of her neck, Sakura let out a small mewing noise. She felt Hayate stiffen at the noise, and thoughts began to come back and race through the pinkette's head.

"Hayate… do you feel the same way for me?"

Hayate's lips disconnected from her neck, and his rich chocolate eyes looked into her own; his eyes were slightly darker than she was used to, and his hair was ruffled, but Sakura had never seen him look more attractive.

"I don't know…" Hayate spoke honestly as he looked into her emerald eyes. "Kissing you… it felt right, but I don't know how I feel. My emotions… my thoughts… they're kind of all jumbled right now."

Looking into his eyes, Sakura saw the flash of confusion inside them, and she knew she wouldn't get an answer from him tonight. It had taken her the whole last mission for her to come to terms with her feelings; she would give Hayate the same courteously. She would give him some time.

Walking up to him, Sakura kissed him on his lips lightly before pulling away. "I'll give you time to think," Sakura said with a small smile. "I'll see you later Hayate."

With that said, Sakura began to walk back down to her apartment… she had done what she had come to do, and she knew she had a lot to do when she got back to her apartment. She had to pack, and she had to try and get some good sleep; she didn't think she would sleep so easily after Hayate's last kiss, but she would try.

* * *

O.O sooooooo they kissed : ) I bet that's what you all have been waiting for; Lord knows I've been waiting for this to happen, haha! Reviews are much appreciated!


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